


Reversal

by TheSuperSass



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 17:17:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18664861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSuperSass/pseuds/TheSuperSass
Summary: Persephone stumbled backwards and froze, caught in the gaze of the strange dark woman before him, her crimson gaze penetrating and unflinching. Hades silently eyed the sun-kissed, messy haired man before her to decide what to make of him. There was something genuine and disarming about this young god she found sleeping in the flowers, gaping up at her in awe... Genderbent (Female Hades, Male Persephone)





	1. Chapter 1

Hades sighed in contented relief as she pulled her dark hair free from the tight pins that held it back, falling smooth and long down her shoulders. She didn’t mind visits to Olympus, but the occasions often called for much more formal wear than she bothered with in the Underworld. 

She had long ago learned to ignore the unsolicited advice from her sisters on her attire, who always seemed to think her style choices were part of the reason she didn’t have a husband. She found it hardly fair, considering Zeus was always showing as much cleavage as she could get away with, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Poseidon without her hair wet. 

She did enjoy seeing her sisters, but as with any time she visited Olympus, she was exhausted afterwards, her energy for smiling and small talk worn out after only a few hours. Happy to be alone with her thoughts but not ready to return home yet, she walked a breezy meadow on Earth, enjoying the view. Hades hadn’t walked far when she spotted something on the ground. 

Knowing his mother would be gone for the day in Olympus, Persephone had walked farther than he usually would from home. He knew Demeter loved the flowers in their garden – after all, he had planted all her favorites there – but he preferred the wildflowers. While she liked the manicured, even rows, he liked the variation in color and size from the fields. While she was a creature of habit and structure, he was a free spirit.

Though their differences had led to many explosive clashes between them over the years, Demeter and Persephone were extremely close: after all, they were all each other had. Persephone had learned what rules actually needed to be followed to preserve his mother’s sanity, and Demeter gave up trying to rein him in all the time.

One of the many battles Demeter had learned to let go was trying to stop Persephone from sleeping outside. Since he was a boy he’d run off to play in the dirt and come back covered in mud, having been caught napping in a rainstorm. Even as a young man Demeter worried about him wandering too far, preferring he tended to flowers closer to home. Today was one of the rare days she was gone, so Persephone decided to take advantage to explore further afield. 

After a few hours tying flowers into bundles to take home, he lay on his stomach to watch the clouds for a moment, only to repeat the habit of his childhood by falling asleep in the grass. When Hades found him, he was sprawled out so haphazardly face down, had she been anyone else she might have thought he was dead. As the queen of the dead, she knew this man was not dead and was not mortal.

She approached him, trying to get a glimpse of his face to see who this immortal was that wasn’t present at Olympus. The heavy onyx scepter she held brushed against his bare foot, causing him to jerk awake. He groggily sat up, squinting against the sunlight in his eyes. She watched him, wondering how long it would take him to notice her as he started to gather his bundles of wildflowers. Hardly awake and clueless to the presence behind him, he turned on his heel to head home and gasped.

Persephone stumbled backwards and dropped his bundles, so startled he nearly jumped out of his own skin. He froze, limps locked in fear, caught in the gaze of the dark woman before him. She wore a long dress that was fitted at her slender waist with a thick, shining gold necklace tight around her neck with matching bands on her wrists. Her shoulders were draped with a black cape, blowing behind her in the wind and skimming the tops of the grass. It was a sensory overload, to suddenly find this strange and terrifying woman in the meadow, his brain struggling to keep up.

Most jarring of all were her eyes: what he thought at first were a blackish brown were actually a dark crimson. She look directly into his eyes, her gaze penetrating and unflinching. 

“H-hello,” he managed to squeak out, barely above a whisper. 

“Hello,” she replied, her clear, confident voice a stark contrast to his timid greeting.

Hades felt a wave of pity for the young man in front of her: he looked caught somewhere between confused and terrified. His messy red hair had flecks of grass in it and flopped over his forehead onto his pale blue eyes. He wore a simple, light green tunic across his broad shoulders, his skin darkened by years in the sun. 

Persephone, still not sure he wasn’t dreaming, looked down at her hands. Her fingers were covered in rings that glittered with precious stones, her nails painted black and filed to a slight point. Seeing her fingers wrapped around the scepter, something finally clicked in his head.

“You’re her!” he blurted out in sudden realization. She stared at him, waiting on him to elaborate. “The queen,” he added. “Of – of the Underworld,” he finally stammered out.

“And you’re the god of the flowers,” she replied matter of factly.

“How did you know?” Hades looked down at the scattered bundles of flowers at his feet, then back up at him.

“Oh,” he said with a sheepish blush. “Right.” He shifted in place when she said nothing. “Did you come to see my mother? She’s at Olympus and won’t be back for awhile. At least, I don’t think so. I’m not really sure when she’ll be back,” he babbled, trying to fill the silence.

“No,” she answered. “I was in Olympus today too – I’m just passing through on my way home. I’d been told this region was nice.”

“So this your first time here?” She nodded once. “Well, welcome then!” Before she knew it, he had stepped up to her and taken her in a tight hug. Hades bristled; she had too many times had to avoid unwanted physical advances from brash Olympian men. 

No longer afraid, Persephone smiled at her. Having had him pressed against her, Hades couldn’t help but to now notice his body: his broad shoulders, narrow waist, firm biceps, and square jaw. Like a lot of Olympian men, he was classically, annoyingly, handsome. Something about his face was different though: his smile lit up his eyes and was genuine, innocent, and without agenda. He was beautiful.

“Will you be staying long?” 

“I’m on my way back to the Underworld now.” 

“You have to take something back with you! To remember your visit.” He looked thoughtfully down at the piles of flowers at his feet. He looked back up at her, eyeing her clothes. This time, Hades felt exposed under his watch. After a few seconds deliberating, he pulled out a few red and blue flowers to match her sapphire and ruby rings, tying them together and offering them to her.

“I don’t know if flowers will live in the Underworld, but you can press them if you like,” he offered. Hades accepted them, immediately recognizing his attention to detail in color choice. 

“Thank you,” she said, perplexed by how friendly he was willing to be to a complete stranger.

“Oh, wait!” he plucked one of the yellow sunflowers from the pile and added it to the center of her little bouquet. “They’re my favorite,” he explained. “So you won’t forget me.” Hades couldn’t help but give away a small smile.

“I’m sure I won’t.”

Upon returning to the Underworld, Hades put the flowers in a small vase. After a few days, they started to wilt, so she took his suggestion and pressed them into a heavy book. All but the sunflower – it was too big to press, and it persisted days after the others. Every time she passed it, it caught her eye in her periphery. It was bright, beautiful, and stood out among the calm, dark hues around it.

Every time she saw it, she thought of his disarming smile: bright, beautiful, standing out among the usual quiet of her mind. She fingered the soft petals absent-mindedly. Perhaps she did not visit her sisters often enough.


	2. Chapter 2

As Hades walked through the familiar field from the week before, her clothes dripping with seawater, she remembered exactly why she didn’t visit Poseidon more often. Absence seemed to make the heart grow fonder, and everytime Hades foolishly thought her sister had matured beyond splashing her while fully clothed. After hundreds of years, it had never been true. 

She considered skipping the longer walk home through the region Demeter and Persephone lived. Dripping wet and cold, she lost that nerve she had when she was in the Underworld, staring at the dead sunflower. 

Before she could talk herself out of it, she spotted the unmistakable pop of Persephone’s red hair across the field long before she could make out the details of his face. She wondered what he would think to see her. 

As she got close, the urge to take her helm and disappear came over her. A small part of her didn’t want Persephone to see her like this, but she quickly dismissed the thought. Why should she care what she looked like when he saw her? The rustling of her skirts in the grass broke him out of his daydreaming. Looking down at him from his seated spot on the ground, she watched surprise then recognition light up his face.

“Hades!” he declared with a smile, jumping up and jogging towards her. “You’re back!” 

All of her concerns about visiting immediately vanished at his response. This time she did not lean away from his hug, instead embracing him in return. She rarely let Olympian men touch her, as they managed to make something as harmless as a hug lecherous somehow, putting her on edge. Persephone hugging her did the opposite: it made her feel warm and at ease.

The embrace was over toon soon as Persephone pulled away with surprise and confusion, looking down at his arms.

“You’re all wet!” Hades mentally cursed Poseidon for causing this separation.

“Yes, well my sister still seems to think it’s funny to splash me when I’m not looking.” Persephone laughed, and though she thought that would annoy her, she found her smile matching his.

“I can bring you something to dry off with,” he suggested. She nodded and followed his lead. 

He lead her to a sunny spot to sit while she waited to dry. She peeled the heavier outer layers off her damp skin, exposing her bare arms and shoulders. Persephone watched, eyes settling a little too long on her, amazed by how light her skin was. She caught him staring, unsure whether to feel self conscious or flattered by his eyes on her.

“As you may imagine, my job doesn’t allow me in the sun very often.” Persephone flushed, quickly looking away.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” His face burned red. “I’ve just never seen skin like yours before. It’s so different from anyone up here.” He moved next to her, holding his arm out next to hers. “See?”

She looked down as his tan skin, smattered with freckles. Her gaze followed all the way up his arms, up his biceps, back to his face.

“And you seem awfully strong for a flower god. I didn’t image flowers could be so heavy.” She smirked.

“They’re not,” he admitted with a laugh. “But I help my mothers and the mortals with the harvest. I like doing things outside.”

Hades nodded and looked across the wide sky before them. She tried to imagine what a life outdoors must be like. It had been so long ago and so short of a time in the world above before she was queen. Even above, the rest of the gods spent their time in the grandiosity of Olympus, not on Earth among mortals.

Meanwhile, Persephone fidgeted, unsure of what to do or say facing the silence between them. No one he knew was so still and he didn’t know how to converse with her. 

“Is something wrong?” she asked him.

“No! Nothing’s wrong!” he insisted. “You’re … I mean, I’m just...kind of intimidated by you,” he admitted, looking down at the ground.

This certainly wasn’t the first time Hades had seen fear of her in the eyes of others. Her face stayed serene, but despite herself, Hades was a little disappointed. For once, she cared that someone was afraid of her.

“Why is that?” Hades was sure she knew what his answer would be, but rarely did people say how they felt about her to her face. It was a rare occasion for her to even ask.

“Well...you’re quiet. Quiet people kind of intimidate me.”

Hades raised an eyebrow -- that was not the answer she was expecting. At her lack of verbal answer, he felt the need to continue.

“Since I’m not quiet, I can’t really tell what quiet people are thinking. I’m afraid they’re being quiet because they don’t like me or are judging me in their mind.”

“I promise I’m not judging you. And I do like you.” 

Hades was shocked, almost embarrassed, at how quick her answer came, how quickly she wanted to assure him of otherwise. Persephone looked immediately relieved.

“Okay.” 

He seemed to sit more comfortably with silence after her reassurance. Hades noted how quickly Persephone could be made happy. He had gone from wide eyed babbling to warm welcome with little explanation upon their first meet. His trust bordered on gullible, and she was surprised with such naivety he hadn’t been eaten alive by more self interested gods. Though from what she heard, neither Demeter or Persephone were seen often on Mount Olympus.

“What is the Underworld like?” Hades startled from her thoughts at his abrupt question. 

“It’s…” She hesitated. People rarely asked, either having made their own judgements based on what they’d heard or not wanting to know. She didn’t have a prepared answer, but it was refreshing that someone even asked. He watched her expectantly.

“This is hard for most to believe, but it’s beautiful. The palace, the rivers, the kingdom...my sisters always seem to think I need a break from it, but it’s home for me.” 

“You don’t miss the sun? Or the sky?”

“I do sometimes, but it’s not how people imagine. You don’t feel like you’re underground and it isn’t dark. More like having the night sky over you all the time.” 

He nodded, but the way his brow furrowed she could tell he didn’t understand. No one ever did … but for once someone was trying. She tried to think of something he could relate to. She thought of the nearby river, and the visit to her sister.

“Living in the Underworld is like...swimming to the bottom of a deep lake or to the bottom of a reef in the ocean and just floating there. When you’re so deep you can’t see the surface or very far in any direction. It’s complete peace, just you and the water, knowing it expands farther than you can imagine.”

The god of the flowers watched her face as she described her realm, fascinated. He had seen so little of the cosmos, and had heard the least about the Underworld. He was amazed to hear such an account from the feared queen herself. 

“I know that feeling is claustrophobic or frightening to some, but it’s freeing to me. It took time to get used to it, but I wouldn’t choose to live anywhere else now.” 

“Wow,” he said with a whisper. “That sounds amazing.” 

“Does it?” It was the most complimentary thing she had ever heard anyone say about her realm.

“I understand, I think. I love being with people, I do, but...sometimes it’s nice to get away. To be alone and just think. Or to think about nothing at all and just be.” 

Persephone was proving over and over again to be more than met than eye. She admired him with a hint of a smile.

“The idea of quiet doesn’t intimidate you?” she asked with a wink.

“Well I don’t think the ocean is judging me when I’m floating around in it,” he countered with a laugh.

“Don’t be so sure. My sister always knows who is in her realm.” She paused, considering this. “Although with her around it certainly wouldn’t be quiet.” Poseidon didn’t pry like Zeus did, but she would talk your ear off if you let her.

A breeze blew by them, blowing some of Hades’ hair into her face. It was always unmanageable when it dried after being wet by seawater. She brushed it out of her face, annoyed by yet another inconvenience of her sister’s antics. 

“I could braid it for you, if you want,” Persephone offered. “One of the nymphs showed me how.”

“Alright.” It was an odd offer, but one she had no real reason to refuse.

He hopped and sat himself behind her as she straightened her stance, pushing her hair behind her. Her fine dark locks fell down beyond her waist, the seawater giving her normally silky, straight hair a slight wave. His knuckles brushed the back of her neck as his ran his fingers through her hair, combing out any tangles. She winced when they pulled through a knot.

“Sorry!” he apologized quickly, taking the task a little more slowly. “Clumsy hands.”

“I can handle it,” she replied. “Though I worry for your poor flowers,” she teased.

“Hey! I will have you know I usually have a very delicate touch.” 

With his hands in her hair, Hades accidentally considered what that could mean for a split second longer than she intended.

“I’ve never seen hair so long before! You must have been growing it out for ages.”

She suddenly realized this would mean more work for him. “Don’t feel obligated to braid it all, I--”

“No I want to!” he insisted. “It’s actually easier when there’s more hair to work with.”

She found once all the tangles were free he did have a delicate touch, carefully and methodically following a pattern she couldn’t see. After twenty or so minutes he announced it was finished, watching her anxiously as she pulled it forward to look at it.

Though Hades considered herself generally open minded, she was honestly surprised such an intricate braid had been created by a man. It was a far more elaborate braid than she was expecting, with little white flowers he had plucked woven into it. She looked up at him with genuine gratefulness.

“It’s beautiful, Persephone...thank you.” It was so rare for gods she knew to do something nice for you without expecting something in return; it caught her off guard. He beamed at her compliment.

“I’m glad you like it!” He jumped up and held out a hand to help her stand. He fidgeted for a moment before giving her an apologetic smile.

“I should be getting home soon. Mother worries…”

“I understand.” She began to gather her clothes, and caught sight of the pin she had brought with her. “Before I go, I have something for you.”

She handed him the coin sized pin, a pomegranate split open into halves, tiny rubies dotting it as the seeds. He took it carefully with both hands, admiring the rich color, the detail, and how it twinkled in the daylight. It was stunning, and far finer than anything he owned.

“This is … I-I couldn’t possibly…”

“It’s to remember my visit. So you won’t forget me,” she interrupted, before he could try to refuse the gift.

He gave her a sly smile, the mimicry not lost on him. 

“I’m sure I won’t.” 

Hades walked past him to depart, but before she vanished beneath the helm, turned her head back towards him.

“Until next time, Sunflower.”


	3. Chapter 3

As Hades followed Zeus through the halls of the palace on Mount Olympus, she squinted. It was certainly grand, but it was a bit … much. It was excessively bright and lavishly decorated. To Hades’ taste, it was overdone: her style was much more muted and understated. Between the light and the busy furnishing, it strained her eyes, even after spending the afternoon in the sun.

This time, she visited Persephone on Earth before seeing her sister to avoid any wardrobe mishaps. She found herself looking forward to visiting him, impatient on waiting for what she thought an appropriate number of days between visits should be. She didn’t keep regular company with anyone in the world above, finding most of the gods to be tiresome. But Persephone always looked genuinely happy to see her. He was kind, friendly, and not afraid of her anymore. He was worth making the journey for, but pride prevented her from coming for him alone, so today’s visit was excused as a trip to Zeus.

Hades dressed in more formal attire, knowing it would be a closer match to how everyone dressed on Mount Olympus. Normally she found such clothing unnecessary for a simple visit, but gods came to Zeus’ palace to be seen. For once she didn’t mind adorning her neck and ears with heavy, glittering rubies, a gold, full finger ring on her index finger. She admitted she preferred for Persephone to see her at her best to make up for him seeing her drenched and stripped down to her simplest clothes. Most goddesses seemed comfortable wearing the least, putting their curvy figures on display. Hades felt more empowered in the fine, dark layers, her heavy cape, and her fiery scepter. It displayed her power as a ruler of the cosmos, her wealth over the riches of the earth, and served as an armor against prying and judging eyes. Fair and thin were not physical features always valued by the lechery of fellow immortals, though occasionally someone would take it upon themselves to try to bed her, hoping to attain the unattainable. They never succeeded, as Hades had left the Olympian lifestyle of salacious trysts behind her long ago.

Zeus turned into yet another of the seemingly endless rooms, finally reaching their destination. Hades sat tall, shoulders back, while Zeus slouched low into the luxurious chairs, holding her ornate cup out for one of her attendants to fill it. Hades eyed the handsome young man who scurried up to do so; she wasn’t shocked, but figured Zeus kept herself busy enough with affairs that she wouldn’t need to constantly be surrounded by pretty things to look at too. Perhaps the palace was big enough for her husband to be willfully ignorant. She accepted the cup handed to her with with a polite, forced smile and set it on the small table next to her. She had long ago stopped insisting she didn’t want what was offered to her, finding it easier to take but not partake.

Zeus watched her set the cup aside. Hades’ abstinence didn’t go unnoticed, but over the years she too had learned to let it be. She was not surprised but still amused at how little her eldest sister had changed. Even in a personal visit, she sat stiff and regal, as if the weight of her rule was always weighing her down. Something was a bit different, though she couldn’t put her finger on it. There was a glow, an energy coming off of her that wasn’t usually there. What was causing it would be the challenge to find out. Hades was a locked vault when it came to her feelings, and asking her outright would never work.

“So,” Zeus started, clapping her hands together. “To what do I owe this extraordinary and rare honor of an unprompted visit?”

“Does there have to be an occasion?” she countered.

“With you? Yes,” she responded, taking a sip. 

“Aren’t you the one who always insists I should come more often? If my visit is such a burden, I can--”

“No, no,” she dismissed with a wave of her hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just curious what could possibly have tempted you to come back so soon since you left early the last time you were here.”

“I attended, didn’t I?”

“Yes, but you talked to so few people! I wish you would relax and enjoy yourself every once and awhile.”

Hades didn’t engage; it was a conversation they’d had many times before and she never was able to get anyone any closer to understanding her.

“I heard you saw Poseidon last week,” Zeus accused conspiratorially, trying to get something out of her stoic sister.

“You may have forgotten, but I am also related to her.”

“But you visited her first! You wound me,” she said with a dramatic pout. Hades rolled her eyes.

“I still think you’ve found something more tempting than family visits to bring you back above not once but twice so close together,” she probed, twirling a lock of her golden hair in her finger.

“Always the gossip,” she dismissed dryly. 

Zeus pursed her lips together. Hades would never volunteer the information, but if she correctly guessed it, she might react. Over many years she had learned to read her minute, tell-tale expressions. 

“Come now, I want to know what’s happening your life! Don’t I always telling you everything?”

“Yes, you do. In extensive, graphic, detail,” she replied flatly. “Whether or not you were asked.”

“Well maybe since you favor our sister so much more these days, you might have told her something you’re not telling me.” Zeus flashed a sly smile before turning her head towards the arch of the room’s entrance.

“Dearest sister!” she called down the hallway in a sing-song voice. 

Hades’ head snapped towards the approaching sound of dripping water. Poseidon entered the arches with a dramatic twirl and a twinkle in her eye, a bright green dress clinging to her perpetually damp skin. She flounced past both of them, shaking out her wet hair, splattering drops on them both.

“Just because you invited me to visit doesn’t mean I can be summoned at any time you know,” she told Zeus as she snatched Hades’ cup from the table and emptied it with one swig.

“It appears you can.” 

Poseidon unceremoniously plopped onto the chair next to Zeus, glancing over to the attendant and holding up the now empty glass up in his direction. She looked him over with hungry eyes as he filled the cup, winking up at him as he finished. Hades scoffed at her shameless sisters.

“What?” Poseidon asked. “You should try it sometime.”

“On that note,” Zeus interjected, leaning towards her. “Does Hades seem different to you? There’s something more … relaxed about her today.”

Poseidon snorted. “Hardly. She’s just as judgemental as ever.”

“She didn’t say anything when she visited you? Nothing about seeing anyone else?”

“Not that she told me. Although…” she paused in thought, seeming to consider something. “She did seem especially upset to be splashed this time…”

“Really?” Zeus replied, latching on. “Why were you so upset, Hades? Were you seeing someone afterwards?” Both of them turned theirs eyes to her expectantly. 

Hades suddenly felt uneasy. There was a reason she usually visited one sister at a time. Both of them ganged up against her never boded well.

“I’ve always hated being splashed, and you know it.” 

“Yes, but were you going to see someone afterwards? Someone you didn’t want to see you all wet? A man perhaps?”

“If that’s the case, being wet could only help you,” Poseidon muttered over the rim of her cup. Zeus let out a loud cackle, and Hades relaxed, glad to have the attention off of her. But Poseidon was more perceptive that she seemed.

“So?” Poseidon prompted. “Is there a man in your life?”

Hades panicked internally. She rolled her eyes, not a crack in her serene expression, but it came a split second too late. Zeus’ eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She grabbed Poseidon’s hand on the arm of the chair in shock.

“You are!” she shouted, startling Hades. She turned her elated face to Poseidon, who smiled back with a wicked grin. “Who is it?” she demanded.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Hades replied, wishing she had kept the drink.

“Tell us!” she insisted again, but Hades didn’t budge. Zeus reconsidered -- Hades could weather the storm of badgering, so catching her off guard again would be the only way to get information.

“It couldn’t be someone on Olympus, or you would have heard,” Poseidon mused aloud. “It couldn’t be someone in the Underworld or she wouldn’t need to come above to see them. And it’s certainly no one in my realm…”

“It must be someone on Earth!” Zeus finished. Hades willed herself to be still though she wanted to squirm with discomfort. They couldn’t know about something even as innocent as a few encounters or she’d never hear the end of it.

“Have you fallen in love with a mortal, Hades? That would be very you.” Poseidon smirked. 

Hades immediately regretted scoffing at her for admiring the attendant. In fact, he was maybe her last hope of distracting them. She looked over at him expectantly, and he rushed over with a new cup. Unfortunately, neither Zeus nor Poseidon’s attention left her face as she drank.

“She’s drinking now,” Zeus noted. “What could possibly be more embarrassing than a mortal lover?”

“You know I did hear from one of the nymphs that after you left, she saw you walking the fields later that day with your hair in a braid she had taught to some of the others. Did a nymph catch your eye?” 

Zeus’ eyes lit up at they seemed to be closing in. Hades didn’t flinch, hoping her lack of response would eliminate the entertainment of this interrogation. 

“Although she did teach that braid to every man, woman, and child she met, so that hardly narrows it down. She even taught it to the flower god, though that young thing barely passes as a man.” 

Hades’ jaw clenched involuntarily. Unfortunately for her, Zeus’ eyes were trained on her face the moment it happened. There was a long pause, and Zeus gasped.

“Persephone!” she shouted, victorious, jumping up. “You’ve been seeing Persephone!” 

“I have not been--”

“See how defensive she is!” Zeus exclaimed with a laugh. “It must be true!” Suddenly something else clicked in Poseidon’s mind.

“I saw Persephone, just the other day. He was wearing a jeweled pin with rubies, he seemed very proud of it.” 

Zeus looked absolutely gleeful. The sea goddess pointed her green eyes back to Hades. 

“So he’s braided your hair, you’re giving him gifts...what else have you two been doing?”

“She deflowered the flower god!” Zeus exclaimed, shaking with laughter. “Demeter will murder you for this!” 

The two younger sisters were doubled over, howling with laughter. Hades stood up; she should have left sooner while she had the chance. She marched towards the exit when a figure blocked the doorway.

“I seem to be missing all the fun.”

Hades scowled at Aphrodite. As usual, he had the flirtatious smirk of someone who knew every living soul in the cosmos found him attractive. Although everyone saw the same features -- dark red hair, amber eyes, perfect skin, tall, masculine build -- each found him attractive in a different way, depending on what they preferred. Some said his eyes were kind, some saw him as gruff and assertive, others loved his charm and confidence.

Hades hated his arrogance but begrudgingly admitted he was handsome in a dark, primal way. Today, however, he seemed different: his eyes lighter, his hair ruffled slightly out of place, his complexion almost dewey. 

“Aphrodite!” Poseidon shouted across the room as she caught her breath. “You’ll never guess what man our dear sister has taken interest in!” He gave Hades a cocky smile.

“Well if it’s love on her mind surely I of all people could guess.” Hades moved to walk past him but he shifted his weight to block her way.

“Who is the single least accessible earth god you can think of?” Zeus prompted. A field of wildflowers briefly flickered across his mind.

“You mean besides Demeter’s pretty son that she keeps locked away?” Zeus and Poseidon looked at each other and broke into screams of laughter. Aphrodite looked at Hades with surprise, hardly believing his own intuition.

“My my, the queen of the dead and the flower god?” he asked, leering down at her. Hades shoved hard past him, but stopped when she caught a glimpse of his face in the corner of her eye, staring at him and blinking hard. For a second, rather than the usual sensual, wild look, his eyes looked almost green, his hair messy, his face young and innocent. He looked like…

Hades quickly spun on her heel to race down the hallway. Aphrodite looked after her with surprise, his interest piqued.

“Hades! Wait!” Zeus called out, chasing her down the long hallway, trying to stifle her laughter. Hades did not stop her furious pace. When Zeus grabbed her arm to stop her, she wretched it loose. 

“Hades, please! Would you have told me otherwise?”

“It was none of your business,” she snapped. “Or anyone else’s. There was nothing to tell, yet you spread lies and gossip about me for sport.”

“Come now, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about! I’m happy for you!”

“You only cared about entertaining yourself,” she huffed, turning away.

“That’s not true! I worry about you in the Underworld all alone.”

“Never enough to visit,” Hades retorted, continuing her path out of the palace. 

Zeus ran in front of her. Hades was angry to be sure, but her eyes were defeated, dejected. She knew it was foolish, but she enjoyed and even looked forward to seeing him. The last thing she wanted was a harsh dose of reality reminding her how ridiculous it was. The queen of the gods felt a pang of guilt.

“I’m sorry Hades, really,” she insisted. “I shouldn’t have done that in front of everyone.”

“You should haven’t done it at all,” she spat. “Instead you humiliated and mocked me in front of whatever audience you could find.”

“Sister, please,” she implored. “I am sorry. And I am happy for you! Even if it’s just a new friend,” she hedged. Hades looked away, but her shoulders sank.

“Hades, any man in the cosmo would be lucky to have your attention,” she said sincerely, squeezing her sister’s hand. “You’re the queen of the Underworld. You’re brilliant, powerful, beautiful...you deserve to be happy with whoever you want.” Hades sighed, exhausted.

“I’m leaving, Zeus.” She walked past her sister down the hallway.

“Is he really what you want, Hades?”

Hades turned to look back, saying nothing. Zeus shrugged.

“Then make him yours.”


	4. Chapter 4

The impatience of waiting to see Persephone between visits was nothing compared to the gnawing feeling in Hades’ gut once she decided never to see him again. Now that people knew about it, it would be impossible to avoid being seen: after all, they were both oddities. Hades was rarely seen above, queen of a realm even immortals dreaded to think on. Persephone was rarely seen on Olympus, under the fierce protection of a sheltering mother on Earth. People would talk if either of them took a romantic interest; combined, it would be too irresistible a piece of gossip not to spread. She vowed to spare him the judgement of cruel tongues. 

Hades tried to reason with herself: she had only seen him three times. It wasn’t a relationship. But the more days past, the worse it felt, and the more she realized it wasn’t nothing. The sound of her sister’s haughty laughter echoed in her mind for days, reminding her that the hope of anything between them was ridiculous. She hated that her visit to Olympus had soured her last encounter with him; had she known that would be the last time she saw him, she might have gained closure of some kind. 

Several times, she decided that was all that was needed to remedy the unhappiness that plagued her: closure. More than once Hades returned to the field unseen, but never built up the nerve to remove her helm. Just seeing him was enough to ease the knot in her stomach without needing the pain of a goodbye, but the relief faded quickly. Within days her restlessness returned, and she found herself back above, an invisible spectator. She tried not to flatter herself into thinking he was looking for her when he would stare out over the fields, his pale blue eyes searching and expectant. But when she watched him touch the smooth edges of the pomegranate pin she gave him, a sad look crossed his face. She realized this solution was selfish: she got to ease her mind while denying him peace of his.

Hades determined to see him one last time as a farewell and to stop making visits above. Too far away for him to see, she removed her helm, staring across the open plain of wild flowers. This place was beautiful, and she would miss it. 

Meanwhile, up above them, Aphrodite squinted as Helios approached him, the bright beams of midday glowing off of her.

“Guess who’s staring wistfully across a field of flowers?” she asked, her eyes shining with mischief. 

Aphrodite leapt up from his seat; he had asked Helios to let him know if she saw Hades on Earth, convinced she would return to Persephone. In Zeus’ palace, Hades’ glance back at him told him all he needed to know: she saw Persephone's face when she looked at him, because that was who she favored. Whether Hades knew it or not, Persephone was somewhere in her heart. 

“Eros,” he called to his daughter, who perked up. “Come with us.” He considered for a moment. “Bring the bow with you.”

\---

Eros groaned, having grown tired of the game of waiting and watching Hades from above.

“This is boring!” she whined. “Can we go?”

“Patience,” Aphrodite chided, mussing up her hair. “She came all this way, she’s bound to do something.” 

Eros peered back down at the field. Helios eyed her from behind as she leaned forward. She didn’t consider herself someone who was attracted to women, but it was hard not to be tempted by the form of the young love goddess.

“She still hasn't moved! What a fascinating development!” she declared, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“She will,” he insisted. “You know better than anyone that the ones who protest the most against their feelings fall the hardest to them.”

Eros scoffed. “I’d make an exception for her. I talked to Hades at Zeus’ palace last time, she’s as dead inside as her kingdom is.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure…” he trailed off at his squinted at Hades’ dark, still shape in the field.

Even Helios was starting to have doubts. They’d watched Hades stand out of sight across the field, not advancing towards Persephone, for quite awhile now. But Aphrodite resolved to stay. Despite Hades being infamously staid, he knew he saw a flash of something in her. No one, no matter how grave, was impervious to the sting of love, and he was willing to wait to prove it.

As he spoke the words, Hades finally stalked towards Persephone, whose back was turned. The three watched with anticipation as she was finally close enough to be seen, but as soon as Persephone turned, facing her direction, she suddenly vanished.

“What was that?” Eros demanded.

“Her helm,” Helios answered her with a chuckle. “She panicked.” 

Aphrodite’s eyes rapidly searched for her invisible form, feeling more justified than ever. Hades certainly felt something if she was hiding.

“Such a shame: the goddess of death, afraid of a little flower god,” Helios tisked. 

“What she needs is a push,” Aphrodite declared.

Eros looked up to find both pairs of eyes on her.

“Me?” she asked, incredulous. “I wouldn’t waste one of my arrows on her!” she protested. “Besides, I can’t even see her!”

“Look!” Persephone’s back had turned, and Hades had reappeared.

“Eros, shoot!” he insisted. “Before she disappears again!”

“I’m telling you it won’t work on her--”

Hades began to turn away from him.

“Now, before she’s it’s too late!”

Eros rolled her eyes with a sigh. She pulled an arrow from her quiver, loaded her bow, and released. It was hasty, but Aphrodite didn’t worry: she never missed. It struck her in the chest, and the three gods watched in suspense to see what the solemn Queen of the Underworld would do when struck by Eros’ potent arrow.

\---

Down in the field, Hades found herself uncharastically indecisive upon facing Persephone, torn between action and inaction. She had decided to abandon this plan, turning away and taking her helm into her hands to disappear from him forever, when a sharp pain pierced through her body.

Hades gasped, all the air suddenly gone from her lungs, dropping the helm and falling to one knee. She blinked hard with a wince, and when she looked up, her vision blurred.

Persephone’s messy, wind tousled red hair, his broad tan frame, his soft blue eyes, and friendly, warm smile were the only thing she could see, clicking into sharp focus and filling her vision. Her heart pounded one long beat, so hard she thought it might burst from chest. 

“Hades?” Persephone called out, a mix of confusion and happy surprise as he walked towards her.

Her skin electrified upon hearing her name out of his mouth. He halted, startled by the wild look in her eyes. Her mind flurried with sensory overload, and only one thought rose above them as her gaze locked on his form.

Make him yours.

Hades grabbed her helm and vanished, leaving Persephone standing barefoot, confused, and alone. He squinted across the field where she was standing. Before he could look any further, he felt a growing rumbling beneath his feet build louder and louder until a deafening crack shook the Earth, knocking him down. When he looked up towards the source of the sound, ears ringing, he saw four dark mares stampeding towards him at a frightening speed, carrying an empty golden chariot behind.

The flower god was crouched helpless, too shocked to move as the horses circled him, their hooves barely missing him as they thundered past him. He felt cold fingers pull at his tunic to bring him stumbling to his feet. The invisible hands yanked hard at his wrists, pulling him into the chariot. He gasped, nearly falling out of it, when Hades suddenly appeared in front of him, standing even in height to him.

“Wh-what are you doing?” he called over the rolling of the horses’ hooves. 

“I’m leaving here and never coming back,” was her brusque, husky reply. Her crimson eyes flashed dark and feral as she regarded him. For the first time since he met her, he felt afraid. Her iron grip tightened around his wrist.

“And neither are you,” she added darkly. 

The horses lurched forward, causing him to cry out in surprise. He grabbed onto her to stop from falling as their barreled faster downward, the sun and the sky disappearing above them as they descended beneath the Earth.

From above, Helios, Aphrodite, and Eros watched in dumbstruck silence, mouths agape.


	5. Chapter 5

In a matter of seconds, everything vanished into a vacuum of darkness and silence. Before Persephone could even look back, the world he knew disappeared behind him. His eyes saw nothing, his ears heard nothing, his body felt nothing. For what felt like an eternity, he was suspended in Erebus, wondering if the world still existed. 

Eventually, his sensations came back to him, one by one. He felt the pressure of Hades’ tight hold on his wrist escalate from a dull ache to an acute pinch, the rings on her fingers digging into his skin. He heard his own quick breathing and felt the rattling of the chariot below his bare feet. He saw the outline of her body, her face a featureless shadow. 

As her kingdom came into view in the distance, his confusion switched from where he was to why he was here. Her gaze stayed forward, casting him him no sideways glances, her tight hold on him the only acknowledgement he even existed next to her. Meanwhile, every part of Hades was tense, her focus singular and determined. The arrow’s power flowed through her, and she defaulted to the part of her that saw a challenge and overcame it even in the midst of chaos. It had served her as a fighter, as a queen, and it was all she knew when struck suddenly by love.

Persephone hardly had time to admire this new world in front of him. After speaking with her and hearing her account, he often wondered what the Underworld must look like. It made him restless, as he had not seen even much of the Earth beyond their home. But now that it was in front of him, he could hardly register what his own eyes showed him. The shock of being pulled below with no explanation or warning made his heart pound, his breath race, and his thoughts scatter. 

As the horses finally slowed, he opened his mouth to speak, but hardly knew what to say. The woman who had dragged him into her chariot was not the same woman whose hair he had braided with flowers. This woman followed violence with silence, and it made him increasingly nervous. Before the chariot had even stopped moving, Hades jumped from it, pulling Persephone with her. He stumbled after her as she practically dragged him behind her by his wrist. 

“Hades!” he finally called after her. She abruptly stopped and spun to face him, hearing her name from his mouth halting her resolve. He flinched back at the wild look she gave him. She looked him in the eye, her intense, accusatory look unsettling him even further. His distraction threw her off; she needed to get him to her room. There were no coherent thoughts beyond this goal. She had to get him to her bedroom, now. She persisted forward and this time he followed through the winding labyrinth of her palace without protest. 

At last they reached the destination, the grand bedroom of the queen. The heavy door shut with a slam, leaving an unnerving quiet in its wake. The lamps were lit low, their flames flickering shadows across the walls. She slowly turned to face him as he tried to adjust his eyes to the light. Now that she had him where she wanted him, her body hummed with anticipation, her mind a maelstrom of desire.

Giving into the potent magic burning through her, she surged towards him, releasing his wrist and grabbing his jaw, pushing him hard against the door. She took his face in both her hands, holding his face still. She pressed her lips against his, slow at first, relishing the thrill even the softest touch gave. Persephone stood rigid, this kiss more physical intimacy than he’d ever had with a woman. As she persisted, taking his lips between hers over and over, he relaxed enough to abandon his confusion and enjoy her mouth on his.

This gentle, chaste kissing alone did not satiate Hades for long. Her hands slid down his neck, across his shoulders, her nails skimming his chest while she took his bottom lip between her teeth and pulled on it excruciatingly slowly. His hard muscles under her fingertips fanned the flame burning inside her. Her hands smoothed over him back up his body, her fingers rushing over his broad neck and tangling into his hair. She grabbed a fistful in both hands and shoved his head against the door behind him. He gasped at the jolt, shivering when she look advantage of his head back to kiss a line up his neck, nose tracing along his jaw, taking his earlobe between her teeth.

“Hades…” he whispered, struggling to keep up with her. “W-what are we--” Hades grabbed his jaw between her thumb and index finger and forced his head to turn, leaning into his other ear until her lips brushed against it.

“Don’t say no to me,” she growled under her breath. 

A shudder shook his body. It was then he knew he would be helpless to whatever she wanted of him, the dark and dangerous queen of the Underworld. He couldn't say no to her, and he didn't want to.

She took Persephone above the elbow and pulled him to the edge of her enormous bed, draped in velvety navy sheets and matte gray and silver pillows. Without any preamble she grabbed at his tunic, her pointed nails scratching against his skin as she tore his clothes from him until they lay in a pile at his ankles. Hades took a step back and admired his naked body like a predator admiring its prey before devouring it. Persephone crossed his arms from the sudden chill; he had never felt so exposed and bare as her eyes swept across him. He flushed when her eyes lingered between his legs then flicked up to meet his.

“Lie down,” she demanded. 

He slowly obeyed, sitting first on the edge then slowly sliding back and laying his back against the soft sheets, self conscious of her gaze on him. She stalked forwards to the edge of the bed, looming over him. Without breaking eye contact, she took her own clothes off her body until she was wearing nothing but jewelry. Persephone’s heart raced as she exposed each part of herself. The most of a woman’s body he had ever seen was when he accidently came across some young nymphs bathing; even then, he had quickly turned away. He was transfixed by her gaze, having never seen such apparent lust in someone’s eyes before. She lingered at the edge of the bed, giving him ample time for his eyes to wander down across her graceful shoulders, a neck glittering with delicate diamonds, the swell of her breasts, her smooth stomach, the curve of her hips, and the soft dark hair between her legs.

Hades climbed onto the bed, approaching him on hands and knees. He involuntarily scooted away from her, her body hovering over him unnerving and predatory. She put a hand on his chest to stop him and held it there until he settled. She continued her path up his body, her long dark hair flowing down past her shoulders and tickling his skin until she was at last face to face with him. Now that the race of bringing him to the Underworld, to her bedroom, to have him stripped and caged beneath her body was done, her gaze was clouded with smug victory, her actions guided by that desire to finally join with him.

Persephone’s heart pounded as she parted her narrow legs on either side of his waist and his now hard member brushed against her sex. He lay still and flat on the bed, arms splayed down like a sacrifice, as she guided him to her waiting, wet entrance. The primal joining, something he thought he would have to initiate but likely never would, was going to happen now, with the frighteningly beautiful goddess of the dead, whose demands both aroused and terrified him. 

Hades sank onto him, planning to take the entirety of his impressive length into her and grind against him until she finally reached the release she had been chasing. She had only taken him a few inches past her folds when she froze.

Overwhelmed by her tight, warm channel around his erejction, Persephone cried out, shocked by this physical pleasure he had never known before. Once again, the flower god’s reaction halted Hades’ plans. The sight of Persephone with his eyes shut, his full lips parted, his head back, hair messy and wild against the sheets, sparked new desire in Hades. The goal of reaching her own completion was overridden by the arousal of seeing Persephone helpless and writhing beneath her, his pleasure and his body entirely at her mercy. Her head swam with this new power, wanting to take him for every inch he was until there was nothing left.

She slowly pulled off of him, sitting between his legs to watch his face as his breathing slowed. She waited until he opened his eyes and looked back at her before grabbing the underside of his knees and pushing his legs back, opening him wide to her. Already naked and flat on his back, Persephone didn’t think he could feel any more vulnerable, but he found in a split second he was wrong. She stared him down as she lowered her head to his length. Her piercing gaze daunted him but he found it impossible to tear his eyes away. 

A primal part of Hades resurfaced, a part she hadn’t felt or needed since before she became queen. It was the part of her that survived the Titanomachy: the woman that was merciless in battle, who had to fight with everything to live another day, for whom lust and blood lust blurred together, who slaughtered the men who were her enemies by day and fucked the men who were her allies by night. Both her battle and her bed felt the same: physical, violent, extreme, holding back nothing because each time might be the last.

Persephone had never known such atrocities nor knew who the gods had to be to defeat them. In less than three decades, a life that was short even by mortal standards, he had only known the protection of his mother, the friendliness of the nymphs, the calm meadows, the flowers, the harvest, the kind Earth. 

Hades had not been with a man since the war ended, but burning with the passion Ero’s arrow unleashed, the skill of handling a man came back to her without a thought. She ran her tongue from his base to tip, relishing the sight of his breath quickening. She repeated the journey back down and up again, this time taking his head between her lips and turning the tip of her tongue around the crown. He gasped when she took more and more of him into her mouth, barely believing the explicit scene of her lips around him. A groan cracked from is throat when she moved back up, sucking at him all the way. She descended again, this time taking him deeper and holding there, loving the halted cry that came from him. 

Hades let the moisture in her mouth pool and fall over her tongue as she rose up him, coating his erection. She sat up and waited until he caught his breath, shivering at her absence and the cool air on his wet member. He was already too close to the end and didn’t have the discipline to withhold without her help. Once he stilled and looked wearily up at her, she wrapped her fingers tight around his thick cock, sliding her grip up and down him, working him over in a way he had barely even known by his own hand. The sounds out of his mouth were out of his control, every moan pulled from him by the deft work of her hands, melting into soft cries as approached climax. She increased her speed, pushing him closer and closer to the edge before abruptly releasing, watching with sadistic satisfaction when he gasped in disappointment. Hades let him cool before pressing her thumb along the underside of his scrotum, rolling his orbs firmly in her warm hands until she pulled a low moan from him. He jerked where he lay when she tapped her nails along his most sensitive skin, bordering the line of acute pleasure and pain.

Growing anxious and more aroused by his helplessness at her hand, she crawled back up his body to face him, her limbs surrounding him, her long dark hair blocking around the rest of the world around him. She reached beneath her body to angle his hardness to her slick opening once again, taking only the end of him into her and holding there, rewarded by his groan. She slowly pulled away, watching him pant with disappointment, before gradually lowering onto him again, this time a few inches further. He became light headed as she repeated the gesture, taking more of him into her tight warmth only to withdraw as soon as he approached satisfaction. Desperate for him to have all of her, he thrust upwards. She abruptly stopped, swiftly pulling off him and pushing his hips back into the sheets. His mind was a haze, lost to anything but what she would do to him next, what pleasure she would allow or deny him.

Wanting to push his limits further, she took as much of him she could fit into her mouth, stroking down the rest to the base with her hands. When she grasped at his testicles, he cried out in surprise, his hands flying up to tangle his fingers into her hair. She immediately withdrew, grabbing his wrists and pinning them to his sides, her glare a wordless warning not to move them. Every muscle in his body was tense with denied arousal, exhausted by the war of trying to push his body to the goal but having to fight against it, afraid of disobeying her. 

Meanwhile Hades was drunk by the sexual power she held over him, every whine of protest spurring her on. Persephone was squirming and panting under her touch, a sheen of sweat glistening across his body, his hair matted to his face. She mounted him again, this time allowing him as much as halfway into her before pulling away. 

Too much in her control to have any shame, he let out broken, pleading cry, his hands grasping tight at the sheets beneath his fingers. Hades looked down at the flower god whose innocence she had sacrificed to her passion. He was panting, face red with exertion, forehead now drenched with sweat, eyes glassy, his brow furrowed as his pleading eyes looked back up at her. He was at the end of his endurance, physically and emotionally. 

The goddess of the dead brushed the sweaty hair from his forehead and slowly, slowly lowered herself fully onto his length. She forgot controlling or manipulating him as his size opened and filled her. Her legs parted at either side of his waist to take him more deeply, her gasp turning into a low groan as she received all of him. For a moment she was aware of nothing but how big he was inside her, her legs tingling all the way to her toes. She sat completely still when her backside touched his thighs, clenching around him as she relished in her satisfaction.

His loud panting broke her out of her concentration; he wouldn’t last much longer. She leaned over his chest, arms on either side of his head and rolled her hips forward, pulling him further into her. He cried out again, overwhelmed by what he had endured and the unfinished want that tightened every muscle, every tendon in his body. Hades put a firm around around his neck and she rocked forward again.

“Not yet,” she instructed, eliciting a whimper as he squeezed his eyes shut, unable to handle feeling her sex around his and see her breasts over him. Already pushed all the way against him, she rode him, going from deep to deeper in her drenched channel, building steadily to her own orgasm. When she felt that tingling climb closer and closer to the crest, when she knew there was nothing that could take her back from falling over the edge, she tightened her grip around his neck until he opened eyes to look up at her, trembling.

“Now,” she commanded with a harsh whisper. She didn’t wait to see if he obliged: she continued rolling up and down him until she came with a sharp moan. It was more than enough to finally thrust him into release. Persephone’s head fell back, eyes shut as he shouted his pleasure, a prolonged, helpless cry that echoed against the stone walls until he fell limp beneath her.

Hades released his neck, her chest pressing against his as she shifted her weight from her hands to her elbows, clenching at him as the wave passed her, her breathing heavy. Hot tears leaked past the corners of Persephone’s eyes, still squeezed shut as he gasped for air, unable to move. She carefully pulled away from him and fell onto the sheets on her back next to him, staring at the ceiling, her mind blank.

When his heart beat finally slowed -- he had no idea how much longer later -- he rolled onto his stomach, nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck, threw his arm across her torso, and promptly lost consciousness. Hades propped her chin onto the top of his head and followed him into sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Back in the lofty grandeur of Mount Olympus, Eros lounged on a couch, humming to herself. She was nodding off, her eyes closed, when suddenly she jerked upwards, knocking her bow and arrows to the ground with a clatter. Aphrodite looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I …” Eros huffed, her eyes disbelieving. “I underestimated Hades.”

Aphrodite smirked.

“Tell me.”

\---

In the world below, Hades had awoken, the hangover of her passions weighing heavy on her. She had lost track of time watching Persephone sleeping, his limbs sprawled out, his body motionless, his face serene in deep sleep. The rage of her emotions had ebbed, but the burn still lingered. Looking at the beautiful young god in her bed made her chest swell with happiness, followed by dread as she tried to remedy what she had done.

What had she done? And why had she done it? They were questions she had no answer for, but she had the actions to answer for regardless. Many years ago, a spontaneous tryst like this would have meant nothing to her. For most of her kind, it still wouldn’t mean anything today: her own sisters were notorious for their philandering.

Looking back at his innocent face, a sinking feeling came over her. Had she become like her sisters? Had one tempting man prompted her to the very behavior she judged and scorned in others? Zeus or Poseidon seduced any manner of men -- gods, nymphs, mortals-- without hesitation or remorse, often leaving them to the face the consequences alone.

She could not bear to do that to Persephone: but what was she to do? She had carried him off with hardly a word -- was he unwilling? Had he wanted it? He had certainly not stopped her, his only protests when she denied him. What consequences would he face in the world above -- from his mother, from the gossip of Olympus-- if anyone had seen them? Would he even want to see her again?

The idea of him leaving filled her with panic. That could not come to pass. Unlike the the night before, the yearning she felt now was not for physical satisfaction. It made no sense to her, but she had gone from simply wanting to see him to wanting to be with him. The realization was even more unsettling. How could she possibly convince a flower god to be with her in the Underworld?

While Persephone slept, Hades devised a way to make him stay. She was not her sisters: she would not take a helpless man like him as her paramore and nothing else. She would give him more than just her body: she would give him everything. 

When he finally did wake, he lifted his head slowly off the bed with a groan. He blinked, trying to understand the strange room his found himself in. It looked unfamiliar even from the night before, as he hardly took his eyes off her the whole night, hypnotized by her commands. A shiver ran through him.

Hades heard him stir from across the room and jumped to her feet. She sympathized as he slowly pushed himself up. She had felt the same way the first night as queen: the Underworld making her bones feel heavy, her body like a shell someone had pulled her soul out of and pushed something else in. She had been alone to adjust to her new realm and her new role; she hoped being here for him would help in ways she didn’t have. But she had known what lot she cast before she came; he had no idea what she was about to bestow on him. When his eyes met hers across the room, she felt a sudden surge of both joy and panic. 

Persephone froze as he laid eyes on her, the room much lighter than it had been the night before. She was already fully dressed, in a simple dark dress and small sapphires dotting her ears and fingers. He couldn’t help but imagine her body underneath, hovering above him as she did things to him he had never experienced before. He didn’t know whether to be afraid or excited to see her. She gave him a small smile.

“Hey Sunflower.”

Persephone relaxed, smiling back at her. “Hi.”

Hades walked over to him, offering the tunic she had stripped him of only hours before.

“Thank you,” he replied, sheepishly accepting it as he realized he was facedown and naked on her bed. She turned to give him privacy, determined to ignore the motion of his skin her periphery. He stilled, standing awkwardly in place until she turned back to him.

“How are you feeling?”

“Uh…” Persephone ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I feel … just … different.”

“You are different.” 

He titled his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Before she could stop herself, before she could compose something more eloquent, she blurted the words out, wanting to get it over with.

“You’re the king of the Underworld.”

Persephone stared blankly at her for a long time, the words not registering. 

“I’m … what?” 

Hades’ plan was quickly dissolving. The theory of what she wanted to do was there, but face to face with him, she forget it all. She defaulted to all the traits she had known for years, those of a queen: authoritative, succinct, final. 

“You’re my husband.” 

Those were words he did understand, shocking him out of the haze of confusion. It was such a strange combination of words, words he never thought he’d hear someone say to him. He was many things: an Earth god, a flower god, Demeter’s son. But husband was a word he had always been told would not apply to him. His duty could not be to a woman, because his duty was to the Earth. For the same reason he had never laid with a woman. Until...

“So last night, when you … when we … that was…” he looked up to her for answers. She nodded, trying desperately to read past the confusion on his face.

“But why?” he asked. “Why me?”

“Because I love you.”

She answered so quickly and so surely she gasped in surprise at herself. She had tried all morning to understand why she felt the way she did; the words that came out made sense of it. She felt both relieved and vulnerable all at once.

He looked up at her, the wide eyed shock on her face mirroring his. At a complete loss, she rushed past him and out the door, hurrying down the hallway. After a few moments, she heard his steps chasing after her.

“Hades!” he called after her. “Wait!” 

She pressed onwards, desperately wanting to be anywhere but here until she could regain her composure. She wasn’t given the chance, as he run in front of her. She reluctantly stopped.

“Hades,” he said gently, hesitantly putting a hand on her shoulder. “You can’t say something like that to somebody then just run away.”

She knew he was right; she was being grossly unfair to him. She avoided his searching gaze.

“So…” he started, when she said nothing, looking into her eyes. “You love me?”

Her eyes lowered, focused pointedly on her hands, her answer so quietly he barely heard it.

“Yes.”

“Are you ashamed of it?”

“No!” She snapped her head up, defensive. “Of course not.” He stared at her patiently, not convinced.

“Persephone, I’m not very good at talking about how I feel.” 

“But how can you love me? We barely know each other.” 

“I know.” Hades admitted quietly. Persephone was more thoughtful than people gave him credit for. “But I want you to be my husband. And king of the Underworld,” she finished quickly, before she could get emotional again.

“I … “ Persephone was baffled by this sudden proposition, head still reeling from what had happened the night before. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then let me show you,” she insisted. “You said you wanted to see the Underworld, right? Let me show you what you could be.” Persephone hesitated.

“But my mother...I’ve never been gone for long long, she must be--”

“You’re immortal, what could she possibly have to worry about?” Hades asked with a convincing smile. 

Before she was dreaded as the queen of the Underworld, Hades could be very persuasive. She had little need for it now, but she could easily banish doubts with simple, direct logic, which fared well amongst the melodrama of some Olympians. Persephone always seemed eager to believe people, but still he looked torn. She took his hands in hers, pressing her thumbs lightly into palms.

“Persephone, please. I know it was all very … hasty … but last night didn’t mean nothing to me. I want you to stay. Let me show you what could be your kingdom.” 

The young flower god was surprised to see this vulnerable moment of tenderness from the same goddess who had snatched him from a field, stripped him, and denied him orgasm until he was shaking. He couldn’t deny he felt deeply attached to her after the previous night, not wanting this--whatever it was-- to be over. Perhaps this did not have to be such a rushed decision: it could be like when she visited him in the field, only this time, he was visiting her.

She wanted to show him everything, but she could see even though he had just woken up, exhaustion was creeping back into him. For those who stayed long enough to find out, it took several days to acclimate to the Underworld. Instead she settled for a tour of the palace. She saw the surprise and wonder on his face to see such wealth in a place seemingly only known for death. When his walk started to look like a shuffle, she brought him to a room down the hall from hers, offering him a space that could be his should he want the space.

But he felt no more solace alone. His mind was still ringing with words like “husband” and “king,” and being in a foreign place with so much happening in the span of one day made it impossible to get his bearings. Hades speaking to him in his field, the long stretch of time she did not visit, the abrupt descent to the Underworld followed by an extremely intimate night, and this entire day each felt like different lifetimes he couldn’t make sense of. Was Hades the goddess who let him braid her hair, the queen who took his body for his, or the woman who pleaded for him to stay? He did want to know more: about her, her realm, what she meant when she said she wanted to show him a life that could be. He had never considered things would ever be different than they had always been: flowers, the Earth, his mother. The thought of another life here was thrilling, terrifying, and overwhelming. He tossed and turned trying fruitlessly to sleep, finally creeping barefoot down the hall to the queen’s quarters.

Hades did not find sleep coming easy either. In all ways that mattered, Persephone was her husband and this realm’s king. She wanted him to choose for it himself, but feared giving him room to think, he would come to other conclusions. She had nearly fallen asleep when she felt him rustle the sheets, crawling into the bed next to her. She stayed still, not wanting to frighten him off by reprising the aggression from last night.

Persephone slid up behind her, brushing her hair to the side with his hands. Her skin tingled at the lightest touch, and she leaned back into the warmth of his body. He kissed her shoulder and pressed his cheek against her back between her shoulder blades.

“Last night was special to me too,” he whispered against her skin. He took a shuddering breath. “But Hades...I can’t be your king. It’s just too much for me and I … can’t…”

Hades’ panic quickly melted to empathy when she turned to face him. He was shaking and on the verge of tears. He was afraid, overwhelmed … all the things she felt her first night in the Underworld. If she could dispel his fear with her own experience, with this shared experience, there might still be hope.

“It’s alright,” she assured him, putting a hand on his cheek. “You’re okay. Breathe slowly.” 

He obeyed, letting her soothe him. She put an arm around him and rubbed her hand up and down his back until he calmed. He hugged her back fiercely in return, putting a strong arm around her waist and pulling her closer, pressing his forehead against hers.

“I know how you feel,” she said quietly to him. “I felt the same way when I became queen. I know what it feels like to think something is too much for you. But I promise you, it will pass. You’ll be surprised what you can do.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. She pulled away until he could see her face in the dark.

“Persephone, give me a chance. Give me a chance to show you what I see in you. My faith is stronger than your doubt, I’m sure of it.”

She did sound sure, and he couldn’t fathom why. How could he go from growing plants to judging over every mortal soul? For now, he let her comfort him. As afraid as he was of taking the role, he was equally afraid of losing her.

“Okay,” he conceded weakly. “I’ll try.” Hades pressed a soft kiss to his lips and pulled him protectively into her chest.


	7. Chapter 7

In the world above, Demeter stewed with anger. Plenty of times she had let Persephone wander the fields all day without checking in with her. She had stopped rushing out in panic when she didn’t see him for several hours, often finding him asleep. The older he got, the longer she had let him on his own. But this time she had given him an inch, and he’d taken a mile. Never had he spent the entire night sleeping in the field. By the time she had gone out looking for him, it was too dark to see, so she waited until the morning to find him, waking in renewed anger that he had still not returned.

The grain goddess marched out into the sunlight, narrowed eyes scanning across the plain. Where could he have possibly gone and what could have been so important he felt the need to completely disregard her feelings? But the longer she searched and found nothing, the faster her annoyance faded. She had always worried he would somehow come across the lechery of Olympus, whether it be some goddess chasing after him or the cruelty of the gossiping tongues who did not think flowers to be the domain of a “true man.” Nothing sinister had ever happened to him, so it never occurred to her that it might. 

The meadow was unusually quiet: his energy was loud, enthusiast, cheerful, and he was easy to spot from a distance. Her mind was busy racing when she abruptly tripped over a jagged patch of Earth. She looked up, bewildered, to find a deep gash in the dirt. The scene in front of her was troubling: an enormous tear in the soil, a trail of smashed and flattened grass. Something had happened here. She followed the path, lifting her skirts and racing forward only to find it abruptly stopped with another tear in the ground. On the top of the brown Earth, there was a tiny glimmer of red. She bent down, picking up the pomegranate pin she had seen him wearing with shaking hands.

Her dull sense of dread sharpened to an acute fear. She looked around desperately for help, finding no one to turn to, no witnesses to call upon. When she turned, the sun glared in her eyes.

Above in Olympus, Helios startled to find Demeter rushing upon her suddenly. It was a strange sight, considering Demeter was rarely seen at all in Olympus. But most jarring was the panicked, worry drawn into the lines of her face. Helios’ stomach dropped.

“Helios!” she demanded, her voice panicked. “Have you seen Persephone?” 

Helios looked away, trying to quickly think of a way out of this interaction. This was all Aphrodite’s idea, yet he wasn’t the one having to deal with the consequences.

“I don’t think so…” she hedged, feigning ignorance as she tried to walk from the room.

“Helios please,” she pressed, chasing after her and grabbing her shoulder “He’s always in the fields, you must have seen something!” Helios pulled out of her grasp.

“Have you tried looking for him in--”

“I’ve looked everywhere!” she wailed. “He’s gone! S-something, in the field, something happened to him!”

“I must not have been looking yesterday, I--”

“It was a sunny day yesterday, you must have seen!” Demeter insisted, following close behind her. “Please, help me!” she begged. “My boy is all I have Helios, please!”

Helios made a backwards glance at her and regretted it. As much as she didn’t want to be the one to tell Demeter, it would be cruel to leave her like this: searching, wandering, worrying when instead the truth could dispel her anxiety. After all, he likely wasn’t hurt … he was just … gone. The sun goddess sighed. How could she possibly explain what she’d seen?

“Yesterday, in the field…” The worried mother looked at her intently. “Hades...took Persephone.” Demeter stood still in shock, her eyes wide.

“With her … to the Underworld.” Helios added. All Demeter’s breath left her as she fell to her knees. 

“They had been speaking , you see,” Helios added hurriedly. “She had visited him several times…”

Demeter thought back to the last several weeks. The strange pin, all the times he’d been vague about what he was doing, when she had seen him gazing out at the horizon...It was Hades preying on him before stealing him. Tears filled her eyes and spilled over. Helios bit her lip with guilt.

“She wouldn’t be a terrible wife, Demeter,” Helios insisted. “She’s a powerful queen, he would be ruler of a third of the cosmos! He would be wealthier than any of us combined…”

But her reassurances fell on deaf ears. It was worse than Demeter could have imagined. King or not, he was the in the Underworld, and even as an immortal, a life for him in a realm like that was as good as death.

\--

In her bed in the Underworld, Hades woke with a gasp. Her neck and forehead were beaded with sweat and there was a heaviness pressing down on her chest. She looked up to find it wasn’t a nightmare or anxiety that had woken her, as it sometimes did. Persephone had rolled on top of her in his sleep, the full weight of his torso pressing against hers. He snored lightly, his face in the crook of her neck. 

“Persephone,” she whispered, trying to gently wake him. She reached around him to shake his shoulder, but he didn’t budge.

“Persephone!” she tried again, this time louder as she tried with both hands to push his chest off of her. 

Since he had always been beneath her, she had underestimated the weight of his body. He was stronger, and heavier, than he looked. He stirred with a groan, lifting his head.

“Sunflower, you’re crushing me,” she explained, putting her hands flat on his chest and pushing upwards. He lifted up slightly on his elbows. 

“Okay,” he conceded groggily, resting his forehead against hers. 

Hips lips swept across mouth lazily. She smiled and kissed him back, endeared by how affectionate even a half asleep Persephone was. He took her bottom lips between both of his over and over, and soon Hades found herself decidedly awake. She snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him back down against her, his firm chest pressing on the soft curve of her breasts. She shifted her legs to part them on either side of his waist and felt the tip of him brush against her -- proof he was very much awake too. 

His pulled his mouth away and look down at her with half lidded eyes, his voice quiet.

“Hades, do you want to…?” 

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. 

He clumsily pulled at the sheets and their garments, fumbling as he tried to line up his body to hers. Finally she reached beneath him, pulling him into her opening. When he pitched forward, she closed her eyes and groaned, her head falling back. 

Persephone marveled at the sight of Hades beneath him. The night before she had controlled him so fully, he was amazed to see this spark of vulnerability from her. She was more than happy to let him take the lead after that: he had valiantly endured -- physically and emotionally -- a lot more than much prouder, supposedly more masculine men could have. She wanted to share everything with him: their kingdom, their roles, and their bed.

She sighed as he slowly rocked forward and back, in and out of her. She slid her nails up the back of his neck into his hair, tangling them into his messy tresses. He relished knowing that the expressions of pleasure on her face were caused by his movements. He kissed along the side of her neck and she turned her head, allowing him more access to her skin. When he pulled back up over her, she was looking him right in the eye, her eyes dark with want.

It was too much encouragement for him to hold back anymore. More aroused than ever, he increased his rhythm in and out of her warmth, too enraptured to realize he was setting a tempo she could never keep up with. After a matter of minutes he shouted his completion and slowly pulling out of her, collapsed at her side.

She stroked his now sweat dampened hair as he caught his breath. After a minute of stillness, he finally spoke.

“That was … really fast, wasn’t it?” he asked sheepishly. She opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, he lifted his head babbled on. “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to and … well you felt so good and you looked so beautiful lying there I just--”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she interrupted, kissing his forehead. “I’m flattered.” Persephone smiled. She spoke with such finality and confidence, it easily reassured him. 

He hugged himself against her as she lay flat on her back, and after a few more minutes of quiet, Hades spoke.

“Persephone?”

“Yes?” he replied, his eyes closed. She hesitated before continuing. 

“Last night … was that … your first time?”

“Yes.” Hades felt a knot of guilt in her stomach.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. He turned his head to look at her, but she kept her eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“Why are you sorry?”

“If I had known … if I had been thinking … I would have gone slower. I would have been a lot more gentle. For a first time -- for any time, really -- that was … a lot.” Persephone considered this before nuzzling into her neck until she looked back at him.

“I’m not sorry. I trust you.” She smiled, but there was a hint of sadness to it. He was too good, too pure for what she had done to him in lust-driven rage.

“Last night…” he started. “That wasn’t your first time?” he guessed.

“No, it wasn’t.” There was a beat of silence before he opened his mouth.

“And no, you can’t ask who else. Not now. Now I just want to be with you,” she finished, squeezing a protective arm around him.

“Okay,” he conceded easily, wrapping warm arms around her and falling back into satisfied sleep.

There would be other times to talk about that. At least, she hoped there would be.


	8. Chapter 8

Demeter stared at the sky, her eyes blank. Any hope she had of saving her son from the Underworld had failed her. She knew she could not take on Hades alone, so she begged every god and goddess to stand with her to get Persephone back. Not only would no one side with her, but some added insult to injury by making a joke of it, suggesting no man would really be unwillfully taken by a woman. She seethed at the cowardice of Olympus; they mocked her son, claiming he was not the victim of something horrible, just to avoid admitting they were afraid to challenge Hades. Zeus and Poseidon would not even see her, though she was not surprised; they would never side against their sister. Demeter left Olympus humiliated and without allies. 

While she had left the Earth to petition for help, something strange happened. Not a single thing on in the mortal realm grew, and the air turned cold. Even upon her return, this did not change, and she did not have the strength nor the desire to do anything about it. If she was to be empty, the world would be empty. If her heart was cold, the entire Earth could be cold. If she had nothing to live for, she would give them nothing to live.

\--

For over a week Hades guided Persephone through different parts of Underworld each day, hoping to make him more familiar and at ease in the kingdom she wanted him to call home. He seemed to love the rivers the most, his eyes wide as he absorbed everything around him.

She was surprised at how well he handled the first time he saw shades. The sight of mortals after their deaths, no matter how calm or peaceful they may be, unsettled most gods, even though they knew it was their ultimate fate. Most were happy to take offerings from them while they lived and leave their souls to Hades once they died without a second thought. Persephone was unusually quiet, but seemed thoughtful and untroubled by them, especially given his role in the world above revolved around life.

She led him along the Styx until they met Charon, where she took the recently deceased onto her boat upon the shore. Hades introduced him as simply Persephone, not wanting to make him uncomfortable by referring to him as her husband or as king. The whitered, hunched old woman looked between them with a knowing smile. Hades may have long since mastered the art of an emotionless face, but the buzz between them and the way she led him with her fingers laced tightly in his told her all she needed to know.

Persephone opened his mouth to speak to her when he felt a tug on his tunic from behind him. He turned to see nothing, then looked down to see a little girl with green eyes staring up at him.

“A-are you the flower god?” she asked in a small voice.

Hades saw sadness flicker across Persephone’s face upon realizing that the girl in front of him had died at such a young age, but he pushed past it with a smile.

“Yes I am,” he said as he crouched down to her level. “What’s your name?” 

“My name is Violet,” she answered timidly.

“That’s one of my favorite flowers,” he told her, and she beamed.

“Are there flowers here?” she asked, this time with more courage. 

Persephone looked to Hades; flowers were his domain but he was still too new to the realm.

“Asphodel,” Hades answered for him. 

Upon hearing her low voice, Violet noticed the goddess of the dead behind him for the first time and gasped, falling back. A woman, presumably the young girl’s mother, rushed up to scoop her into her guarding arms.

“It’s okay,” he reassured the girl as he stood. “This is Hades, the queen. She’s very nice.”

“She is?” Violet asked, her glance flickering back to Hades doubtfully. Persephone nodded. 

“She’ll take care of you while you’re here,” he assured them both.

Charon watched Hades’ face soften for a brief moment before masking her emotions behind her usual serene expression. It meant the world to her to hear Persephone not only understand, but defend her role to someone else. When he stood back beside her to allow them to board, Hades took his hand tightly in hers. She had never been more sure that he was destined to be a king.

They had not gone much further when a sudden rumbling approached them. Before Persephone could react, he was thrown to the ground in a flurry of fur and barking. He looked up from flat on his back to see two -- no, three -- huge dogs licking enthusiastically at his face and neck. Upon sitting up, the sight finally made sense to him: the three-headed guardian of the Underworld.

“Girls!” Hades commanded, followed by a low whistle. “Down.” 

The huge paws released his chest as she sat up, the beast’s winding tail thudding as it furiously beat against the crowd in excitement. Persephone sat up with a delighted smile, jumping up to pet the enormous heads and scratch her ears. The dark hound jumped up again in enthusiasm, the heads nudging against him as he laughed, trying to divide his attention between the three.

“Cerberus is usually better behaved,” Hades apologized. Though, Hades thought, she herself was better behaved before she laid eyes on Persephone, so perhaps she could not blame them.

“What’s all the ruckus?” a man’s voice behind them asked. Persephone turned to see a trio of men in black robes approaching with curious eyes. 

“The Furies,” Hades introduced them. “Tisiphone, Alecto, and Megaera.” 

“And who is this?” Megaera asked, eyeing the young god. 

Standing next to Hades, he stood out more than ever as obviously not being a god from the world below. While she was clothed and jeweled in full regal attire, he wore nothing but a light gray tunic she had offered him, his feet bare.

“I’m Persephone,” he offered with a smile, though as they approached, he felt slightly uneasy. 

They looked him up and down as they came closer, circling him like vultures. Hades groaned internally - this wasn’t part of her plan of easing Persephone into the workings of the Underworld. Creatures tasked with punishment and vengeance didn’t always have the best social skills, and they last thing she needed after all the progress of the day was for them to frighten him.

“Hades almost never has any friends willing to visit here,” Allecto noted. “Not any that are willing, anyway.” 

They three of them cackled, and Persephone chuckled nervously. He noticed their brunette hair seemed to be moving on it’s own, and upon further observation, realized their long dark hair were scaly snakes gliding down the backs of their necks. Unlike Hades, whose red eyes were a dark crimson that bordered on black, their eyes were red like freshly spilled blood.

“So what are you the god of again?” Tisiphone asked, trying to make sense of why he was here.

“I’m the god of the flowers,” Persephone announced proudly. The three of them smirked behind his back.

“And he is your king,” Hades asserted sternly, before they could say something belittling about him.

They all looked up at her in shock before passing sly looks amongst each other. In exaggerated unison then all curtsied.

“Welcome to the Underworld, your majesty,” Megaera offered. “Though I’m just simply astounded our queen did not tell us about you before…” he fished.

“That’s enough,” Hades interjected flatly. “I’m sure the three of you are needed elsewhere?”

“Of course,” Allecto insisted. “There’s always work that needs doing.” Without another word but with a final backwards glance, the three of them quickly made themselves scarce.  
\--

Persephone followed Hades back to her chambers, rarely sleeping apart from her. A bed without her felt lonely, and the every time she touched him, the more he felt like he was hers. His physical inexperience made him clumsy and awkward at times as he learned her body. But she was always patient, and he was always willing to learn and follow her lead. Not only did she know how to reach her own pleasure, but she seemed to read his body better than he knew it himself. The longer he allowed her to convince him to stay, the more he felt he would never bring himself to leave her.

While the odd couple was gradually falling into a pattern, doubt nagged in the back of both their minds. Persephone had become deeply attached to Hades, but he sorely missed his mother. He had never gone for so long without seeing her in his life, and this new life he was living felt all the more surreal because of it. He wondered why she had not come to see him and how she must be feeling. Was she angry at him for leaving? Had someone told her what had happened? These thoughts plagued him, but he didn’t feel he could voice them to Hades without upsetting her.

Meanwhile, Hades was surprised at how little trouble had followed considering how she had taken him. She had only ever heard of Demeter’s sheltering, smothering overprotectiveness. Had she really been content to part with him so easily? Was she going to make no attempt to bring him back to the sunlit world? Perhaps enough time had passed that any drama or gossip it had caused had blown over.

Her worry had all but faded until the day she was told she had a visitor. As she was expecting no one, she entered the throne room, Persephone behind her, with caution. Upon seeing the guest she halted abruptly and scowled, Persephone nearly running into her.

She was right to be skeptical of her unannounced guest: a smug and smirking Aphrodite.


	9. Chapter 9

Hades could not think of anyone she wanted to see less. As if it were not humiliating enough that her sisters laughed in her face upon discovering her love interest, the god of love of all people had confirmed it for them. She had never liked Aphrodite: he was overconfident, a gossip, and constantly felt the need to throw his sexuality in people’s face. The encounter in Zeus’ palace had only solidified her passive feelings of distaste into active dislike.

The goddess of the dead was so annoyed she almost didn’t see his daughter Eros next to him. The young goddess had her wings folded back, eyeing Persephone curiously. 

“Can I help you?” Hades asked curtly.

“I only came in to check on that poor innocent boy you snatched from the field,” he insisted, voice dripping in mock concern. Hades internally cursed. If Aphrodite saw that, then everyone knew about it.

Persephone perked up at the mention. Aphrodite looked him up and down, undressing him with his eyes, and winked at him. Persephone shrank back behind Hades. Most would never admit it, but even other men fold Aphrodite attractive. He did not understand the context of such animosity from Hades, but didn’t want to question her on it.

“Weeks later?” she challenged. “What do you want, Aphrodite?” 

As he stalked towards her, Eros watched from a distance, trying to get a good look at Persephone. Hades held her ground, not flinching as Aphrodite stood just a few inches from her face.

“To see for myself. That even the judgemental queen of the dead isn’t impervious to being made a hypocrite by love.”

Persephone’s skin prickled. She had used that word -- love -- to explain what she’d done his first morning here, but never again since. He wondered if she had changed her mind, her feelings had cooled, or if she had come to her senses. But if the god of love said so, could it still be true?

“Hypocrite?” Hades questioned with a scoff.

While they were preoccupied, Eros lithely skipped over to Persephone, staring up at him towering over her petite frame. He gave her a smile but she didn’t reciprocate, too busy trying to make sense of him. She narrowed her eyes at him as she looked him over. The flower god squirmed under her scrutiny.

“How many times have you loudly expressed your scorn when your own sisters pursued a man or woman they wanted?” Aphrodite asked.

“They used “love” as an excuse for infidelity. And leaving mortals at the mercy of their jealous husbands’ wrath is recklessly selfish,” she answered matter-of-factly.

Aphrodite gave her a wicked smile: he had her right where he wanted her.

“Did you think your manic outburst in the field was victimless? What about taking poor Demter’s only son from her?”

Persephone’s head snapped up, a surge of sorrow rushing through his chest. Hades clenched her sceptre so hard that her knuckles turned white. Smug victory radiated off of Aphrodite, having proven that his domain was more powerful than even rulers of the cosmos. He turned from her to depart, Eros following behind.

“At least your sisters didn’t let hundreds of mortals die for their affairs,” he added under his breath.

“Excuse me?” He turned.

“You’re the queen of the dead and you’re telling me you didn’t notice the big influx of mortals into your own realm?” 

Ice ran down her back. Hades had noticed, but hadn’t made sense of the source yet. More mortals than ever had died of malnutrition, but Persephone’s absence couldn’t possibly be the cause, she told herself. He assisted with the harvest, but his domain was only the flowers. She had held onto willful ignorance as long as she could.

“Demeter is denying the Earth while her son is gone,” Aphrodite informed her. “Every day he’s gone, hundreds more mortals starve to death.”

“What?” Persephone asked, stepping forward, his face wrinkled with concern.

Aphrodite gave the queen one last self-satisfied look before leaving with Eros and leaving Hades to deal with the mess he’d left behind. Hades slowly turned to face him; he walked towards her, his eyes pleading for answers.

“Did you know?” he asked her quietly.

“I knew more mortals were dying than there should be,” she hedged. “I didn’t know why.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to upset you.”

“But I thought you wanted me to rule with you? That’s what you said.”

“I --” Hades had no good answer. “I was afraid it had something to do with what I did. I didn’t want to believe it could be true. I didn’t want you to leave. I still don’t.”

Persephone looked down, clearly upset as he tried to process this information.

“Hades, I … I have to go back! People are dying because of us!” Hades, panicking, spoke quickly.

“All humans die, Persephone,” she insisted. “No matter when, or why, or where, they all end up here.” He considered this, but then thought of the little green eyed girl on the banks of the Styx.

“But even children are dying! Surely they aren’t meant to have lives so short?” 

Once again, Persephone was right. Hades was frustrated at the irony: she needed him as a king because he countered her logic with compassion. But allowing compassion to win in this case meant losing him. 

“Persephone, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I promise to tell you everything from now on. We will figure this out together.” She took a breath before continuing. “Please do not leave.”

He felt the desperation in her plea, but the weight of hundreds of dead mortals, those starving as they lived, and a mother so grieved she would allow it weighed too heavily on him.

“But I have to get my mother to stop this! The mortals need help, and the harvest, and … and … people are suffering!” he continued, getting hysterical. “My mother is suffering, I--”

“I need you, Persephone.” He stopped and stared at her, surprised. “And the Underworld needs you,” she added quickly. 

He looked down at his feet, at a loss. He didn’t know how to say no to her. It felt wrong to let people die, but she was much older than him and much wiser. He trusted her judgement, even though it was uncomfortable. All his repressed feelings for missing his mother had rushed back at this new revelation. He felt more useless, more helpless than ever.

“I can’t be a king, Hades,” he said quietly. “The harvest and the flowers, it’s all I know.” 

“You’re wrong,” she insisted, rushing up to him and taking him by the shoulders, looking him square in the eye. “I’ve never been more sure you were meant to be the Underworld’s king.”

“How can you say that? You don’t even tell me things because you know I’d be too afraid to hear them.”

“That was my mistake, Persephone, not yours. I should have known better,” she admitted. “You’ve taken everything in stride. You were playing with one of the most feared beasts in the Cosmos only a few days ago.” 

The corner of Persephone’s lips switched.

“Only because she is very playful,” he conceded. Hades smiled.

“You comforted a shade when they are the most frightened, you even introduced yourself to the gods of vengeance without flinching.” Persephone remembered the serpent haired furies and their red eyes watching him.

“Persephone, I’m so proud of how much you’ve been willing to learn and how well you’ve carried yourself here.” I’m proud to call you mine, she thought, but couldn’t bring herself to say it. “We will figure out what to do about the mortals together. I want you to have a say in everything that happens here.”

He watched her with wide eyes. Persephone had always known love - his mother dearly loved him - but never had he felt he had so much respect from someone, much less a feared, powerful queen. His resolve to leave faded, and he closed his eyes with a sigh.

“Okay,” he said. “I trust you.” She put her hands on the side of his face until he opened his eyes and looked at her.

“Then trust yourself. I don’t just want you to trust me. I want you to believe in yourself like I do.” He pulled her to him in a tight hug.

\---

Persephone followed Hades to bed that night, but found himself unable to fall asleep long after she had. Carefully crawling out of the bed, he walked through the palace, his bare feet against the cool, smooth ground. He wandered out to the River Styx and sat on the shore, staring into the water. He couldn’t explain why, but it was his favorite. The sounds of the water bubbling forward, looking into the clear depths was hypnotic. He had nearly lost all sense of time and space when Charon walked alongside him.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the old woman asked. Persephone startled and looked up at her from his seat with a smile.

“Oh! Ah, yes, it is.” 

Charon smiled back. Unlike most from the living world, Persephone did not flinch at the sight of her. He was truly kind and empathetic to anyone without condition or agenda. She watched him sit quietly, staring down into the river.

“Something on your mind?” He hesitated, looking at his hands. “Anything you say is between us,” she added solemnly. There was a long pause before he finally spoke.

“I’m afraid of disappointing Hades.”

“By leaving?” she guessed.

“Or by staying,” he replied. “I know she will be upset if I go, but … I know what good I can do on Earth. I don’t know that I can do any good here. I think she’ll regret if I stay too.”

“She’d never regret letting you stay,” Charon insisted. He gave her an uncertain look, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

“Not now she wouldn’t.”

“Not ever,” her gravelly voice corrected. “She adores you.”

Persephone rested his chin on his knees and looked back out at the river, unsettled. Everyone seemed to be insisting on Hades feelings for him except for Hades herself lately. He did not think she didn’t care for him at all, but the word hadn’t passed her lips again since that first fateful morning. Outside of her bedroom she often seemed distant and cold.

“You don’t believe me?” Charon prompted at his silence.

“I don’t know what to think,” he confessed. “Sometimes I think she wants me, but other times it feels like she wants to get away from me, or…” he trailed off.

Charon knew what he was trying to describe. Watching from a distance, she had seen how differently they expressed themselves. Persephone was boundlessly affectionate; he often held her hand, leaned on her, or nuzzled against her. Hades was much more conservative with her physical displays, so even the smallest touch signified a lot with her. Compared to Persephone’s enthusiasm, she seemed stoic and staid. He did not know that what seemed like little reciprocation to him was monumental to her. The strange pair were entwined spirits in many ways, but they had a lot to learn still about each other.

“She’s afraid of you,” Charon explained. Persephone gave her an incredulous look.

“Afraid? Of me?” He couldn’t comprehend it: he was the least frightening thing in the entire realm.

“You’re the only one who can hurt her,” she answered simply. Persephone recoiled in disgust at the thought.

“I would never lay a finger--” 

“Not physically, boy,” Charon interrupted. “Physically, you’d stand no chance against her,” she reminded him with a chuckle. Persephone smiled sheepishly. 

“You’re the only one who can break her heart,” she explained. “I’ve known her for a long time. She’s afraid to open up to you because she isn’t used to being vulnerable. She doesn’t want to become hopeful if you might go.”

The flower god’s brow furrowed. It seemed there was nothing he could do that wouldn’t hurt someone he cared about. 

“What do you think I should do?” he asked. Charon shrugged.

“Don’t be afraid of her, and she won’t be afraid of you. Be the king she already thinks you are, and you might find that she won’t be afraid to love you.”

Persephone looked back into the river, transfixed. When he looked up again, Charon was gone.


	10. Chapter 10

After staring into the Styx that night, Persephone didn’t see the Underworld the same way. Charon recognized the look in his eyes: Hades had the same look in hers when finally let her life in the world above go after months of clinging to its memory. “He always shows you what you need to see,” Charon had said about Styx.

To Persephone, it felt like death to leave the only life he had known behind for this new one, and he feared it the same way people fear death. Hades fought against her lot the same way she fought to avoid death against the Titans, until she finally, exhausted, gave in to what fate had determined for her. For Persephone, it would be swallowing his fear of the unknown, leaving the past of least resistance, and accepting this great responsibility.

Despite what everyone might think of Hades and Persephone – including the two of them – Charon saw more similarities than differences. Their journeys were different, but they were on the same path, with the same ultimate end, and moving towards each other, no matter how distant they felt.

Persephone found himself wandering more than usual, trying to understand this place he was meant to rule, to understand this place mortals and gods alike avoided. Both ruling Hades the realm and ruling with Hades the queen seemed like unattainable goals to him. His short life with his mother, the harvest, and flowers felt useless in the face of ruling every mortal who had ever lived. Hades did everything with such confidence, calmness, and authority, he couldn’t imagine her as anything but a queen.

This day his wandering landed him in the throne room. The room was massive and cavernous, centered around a grand bronze throne. He approached it timidly. Here she sat when making judgement on souls. Most gods thought themselves so far above humans they wouldn’t flinch at the thought of deciding a mortal’s fate – many of them did exactly what they wanted with mortals while they still lived. But Persephone had lived among them, so it was not a task he took for granted. Unlike Zeus and Hera’s crowns that shone with gold, or Poseidon and Amphitrite’s crowns studded in pearls, Hades’ crown was a dark onyx embedded with enormous, striking red rubies. Persephone carefully lifted it, finding it to be much taller and heavier than he expected. 

He sat on the throne, finding that it suited his height, as Hades stood as tall as he did. He set the crown in his lap to admire it, and upon further inspection saw it was lined with diamonds too. He ran his fingers along the cold stones. It fit Hades – it was a simple design that allowed the jewels to shine in dramatic contrast. He hesitantly lifted it – it was slightly too small, but he straightened his back to balance the weight of it on his head.

At that precise moment Hades entered the room, looking for him. She didn’t understand his recent restlessness – he rarely stayed in once place, and she rarely found him in the same place twice. She didn’t know if boded well or poorly for her quest to get him to stay that he was seeing more of the realm.

Those thoughts left her as soon as she laid eyes on him. He was stunning, his posture tall, the dark crown seated on his messy red hair. His broad shoulders were back, his chin tilted up, his eyes staring straight ahead. He looked every bit the king she had always seen in him, and seeing him in her seat, with her crown, she was overcome with possessive desire.

Persephone turned to see Hades staring at him, unsure of how long she had been there. He immediately jumped up, stammering out an explanation as he stepped towards her.

“I’m sorry, I-I-“

“Stop.”

Hades walked slowly towards him without breaking eye contact, her cape dragging behind her. He watched her even steps nervously. She had said they should rule together but taking her place may have finally crossed a line. She stood face to face with him, her expression giving nothing away.

“Take it off,” she demanded. Persephone reached towards his head, but she grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

“Not the crown.” She looked down at his tunic, then back to his eyes, releasing his hand.

Persephone shakily fumbled at his clothes to loose them from his body without tipping the crown from his head. She watched his every move silently until he was standing before her wearing nothing but the crown.

“Sit.”

He obeyed, shivering as his back made contact with the cold stone. Her crimson eyes flickered over his bare sun-tanned body. Persephone was kind, humble, and gentle, but he had a broad, masculine form that radiated an energy of strength and power he was oblivious to. Seeing his muscular shape with nothing but her throne around him and nothing but her crown on his body was burning her up with lust; he was hers, and she would make good on it now.

He stared up at her in awe, his expectant blue eyes waiting on her instruction. Every move she made and every word she said had such weight, such purpose, he couldn’t look away. Not only did he listen to her every word, but he had followed her every instruction in bed every night for weeks as he learned her body and his own.

“You like when I tell you what to do, don’t you?” she asked him. He gave a small smile.

“I do. Do you like telling me what—”

“Yes,” she interrupted with a smirk.

She pressed on his shoulder, and he leaned back until the back of his head touched the back of the throne. She lifted the skirt of her dress and seated herself on his thighs, the soft material pooling at his waist and falling down her back into his legs. She slid her hands up and down his neck and shoulders, knowing he couldn’t move or risk tipping the crown. His skin had paled a little in his time below, but it was still darkened by a life in the sun and sprinkled with freckles. She brushed a lock of his auburn hair from his face; that too was highlighted from a life outdoors on Earth. The pale blue in his eyes reminded her of the sky on a clear, cloudless day. The Earth may have to do without flowers, but Persephone was the sun and sky to her, and she couldn’t go back to the darkness.

Hades felt him harden against her dress as dragged the dull point of her nails across his skin, admiring the hard muscles of his chest and arms. She lifted herself off him enough to reach beneath her and squeeze him in her palm, pulling a groan from him. Hades lowered herself slowly onto his pulsing length, enjoying his reactions up close. They had never been intimate outside of the darkness of her bedroom, and she thrilled to have him stripped on her throne, sitting face to face with him inside her. Her breath hitched when she took him, shocked at how his size felt in her at this angle, having never taken him this way before. She shifted slightly in place, parting her legs wider on either side of his hips to allow him all the way in. 

Hades held her hands on his shoulders and steadied herself, taking deep slow breaths, eyes shut, as she adjusted to having him fully seated within her. He surged with masculine prowess to think his member alone, despite his inexperience, earned him this reaction. Even when she lead the way in all their physical endeavors, he never felt more powerful, more strong, or more desired, than when he was with her. She reached above his head to the top of the throne, using it as leverage to drag her body up and down him in waves.

Persephone watched in awe at how Hades took and gave pleasure on him. He had never seen in a woman in a sexual situation before, so watching her slowly, methodically build towards her pleasure in soft groans aroused him just as much as her body encircling him did. As usual, he was caught in her captivating sexual aura, and she delighted in his willingness to be there. Most men she knew felt the need to throw their weight around and prove their dominance in every domain, which she had long since found tiresome. But Persehone let her have him, all of him, and she was all the more attracted to him for it.

He panted, light headed and sweaty as she continued to slide up and down his erection. She settled back down on his lap and grabbed his hands, pulling them onto her backside. He hesitantly took her firm curves in his broad hands, and she sighed, closing her eyes. Encouraged, he squeezed his open palm tighter around her rear then stroked over the cloth of her dress, and she liked that all the more. His long fingers pulled her closer to him, and he lifted his head forward to kiss her.

Triggered by his warm mouth on hers, she pushed him back against the throne, jutting her hips against him, taking him deep then deeper towards breaking point. She didn’t let up her lips on his until he broke from the kiss with a cry. She loved the sight of his completion: unbridled, unashamed, honest. It sent the tingling between her legs into overdrive, and her groan of satisfaction came not long after. She pressed her forehead to his until their breathing finally slowed. It wasn’t long until reality began to set back in for him, the crown feeling too heavy on his head.

Persephone shifted, taking Hades by the hips to gently remove her from his lap. She stood, confused, but followed along as he pushed for her to sit. She did, and he placed the crown back at her head a knelt, still naked, at her feet. He rested his head on her lap and wrapped his arms around her legs, letting her stroke her fingers through his tangled hair.

He might never live up to the title of king, he thought, but he determined he would succeed as loving husband of the queen.


	11. Chapter 11

The days after the night in the throne room, Hades was pleased to find Persephone becoming less and less hesitant to initiate affection between them. He had never refused her advances, but now he seemed unafraid to make his own. But while his comfort with her increased, his nerve around taking the throne as king seemed as low as ever. As promised, she kept no part of the role from him, but saw that any talk presuming his place as ruler made him visibly uncomfortable. 

She stood alone in her room, staring into her scepter, which flickered silently with the flame of the Phlegethon. She had once begun to hand it to him and he had flinched away from it. She was staring into its light, lost in thought, when he entered the room, startling her. She smiled and put it away as he walked up to the vast bed and threw himself on it.

“Eager to sleep?” she asked.

“Not to sleep,” he admitted, looking up at her with a playful grin. “Join me?”

She walked over to the bed, putting a hand to her dress to disrobe. 

“Wait!” he blurted, sitting up. Before he could lose courage, he continued. “Can I?” He looked down at her dress then back up at her.

“Okay,” she agreed with a smirk, taking a step away from the edge of the bed. 

Persephone climbed off the side and stood to face her. She expected his hands to linger across her body to remove her clothes, but instead his took her face in his hands and kissed her. Surprised but endeared by the innocent gesture, she tilted her head to lean into it as she kissed him back, resting her hands on his shoulders. His soft lips persisted against her mouth over and over again. Most of the men Hades had been physical with were in a hurry to tear off their clothes and be joined with little to no preamble. She liked that Persephone took his time when given the chance to lead, finding his willingness to take it slowly much more intimate. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and encouraged, his hands moved to rest on her narrow waist before hugging around her to press her torso against his. 

What began as sweet was becoming more and more arousing to Hades, the hard muscles of his chest pressing against her front. He pulled away to kiss the corner of her lips, down her jaw, and across her neck. Her breathy sigh told him all he needed to know, even her non verbal cues giving him confidence. He released her and started to navigate her dress, winding his hands through its wraps and ties until he finally loosened it. He tugged it from her shoulders until the soft cloth fell from her body into a pile on the ground. 

Persephone took a step back and admired her. Wearing nothing but her jewelry twinkling in the soft light, she stood tall: shoulders back, her crimson eyes looking unashamed into his, waiting on his next move. She was powerful, confident, and made him feel the same. His eyes trailed across her porcelain skin from her collarbone down to the swell of her breasts, down her waist and along the wide curve of her hips. His stepped forward and traced the same path of her smooth skin with his fingers with shaky hands. Hades took slow, deep breaths, determined to stay still under his touch. 

Her patience was tested when his fingers slid back up her bare body, up her neck and to her ears. He carefully removed her emerald earring from her right ear and left a kiss in his place, then repeated with her left ear. He set them both aside, this time removing one golden bracelet, then the next, holding her hand up to his mouth and pressing a kiss to the inside of her wrist. Finally he took her hand in his and one at a time, pulled each enormous, glittering ring off her finger, his fingertips tickling her palm.

Hades watched him methodically remove the fingers from her other hand -- diamond, ruby, sapphire -- feeling more vulnerable and more aroused. Although she was already wearing nothing, she felt stripped bare by his careful handling. He leaned down to kiss her knuckles and stood tall again to face her, eye to eye.

“Hades, you’re…” he started quietly and swallowed, faltering. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Hades’ eyes widened, and she stopped breathing. No one had ever said anything so plainly beautiful to her. She didn’t know what to say to the young god standing before her with admiring eyes. Before she could try, he took her hand and guided her to sit on the edge of the bed. Unsure of how to tell her what he wanted, he pushed on her shoulders until she lay on her back.

Slightly less nervous now that her dark eyes were not on him, he moved into unknown territory by kneeling before her where her legs hung off the bed. He leaned forward, his shoulder blades pushing her knees further apart, and kissed the soft folds between her legs. She gasped aloud, the cool moisture of his mouth on her warm body shocking her. The tingling inside her grew stronger as he kissed her again and again, her gasps fading into sighs which became a long, low moan. She grabbed at his head, her fingers gliding into his locks as her legs parted wider. Her grip tightened when his tongue pressed into her entrance and her head fell back with a quiet cry.

Longing to be with her, he hastily stood, tearing off his own clothes. Aching at his absence, she pushed herself back until the full length of her body was on the bed and waited for him. He crawled on his hands and knees and hovered over her before fervently pushing his mouth on hers, his slow pacing gone. She shivered as he kissed her with a hungry urgency, a line down her neck to breast, running his tongue over a perked nipple. Hades hummed with satisfaction when he trailed his nose in the valley between her breasts and took the other in his mouth.

When he pulled himself up to fit his body over hers, Hades looked up at him, shocked at who she saw looking back. She had seen want and pleasure on his face before, but this was feverish, primal lust burning in his blue yes. Hades parted her legs as he crawled over her, beginning to reach down to help him enter her. Before she could, he lined his hard member up to her entrance and bucked forward, filling her in one smooth motion.

Hades’ cry startled Persephone so much he almost stopped, thinking he had hurt her, but her face told a different story. Hades had always gradually taken him into her body, enjoying the slow feel of him opening her. She panted sharp huffs of breath as she adjusted to his full width and length all at once. Remembering what had aroused him when she led their love making, Persephone grit his teeth and shuddered as he slowly pulled most of the way out of her, then pressed forward again, starting a slow rhythm. He was rewarded with a groan from his partner who stretched her limbs, opening herself to receive him. His motion varied wildly, going from a pushing halfway in and out of her at an even pace to suddenly thrusting himself hard into her. 

Hades clawed at his broad back, at mercy to his control, her only option to react. It was freeing to hand over the burden of control, to simply feel and not have to decide, but also left her feeling vulnerable and prone. 

Persephone had never been more sure of himself and never more attracted to her than this moment. Not because she was being gentle and submissive, as some seemed to think a woman should be when with a man. But instead because she radiated strength, confidence, and masculine energy. She had built up his own and was willing to surrender it to him to make them equals.

He winced as she scratched at his back, carefully taking each of her hands and placing it on his shoulder instead. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hooked her legs around his waist, clinging to him, trying to anchor herself. Unlike Hades, who gradually built towards mutual pleasure when she mounted him, Persephone was erratic, unpredictable, and wild. He was gentle one minute and brutal the next, teasing her by running his tip along her wet exterior one moment, then thrusting his full length in and out mercilessly the next. Having handed off control, Hades felt herself flailing in freefall, her voice not her own while took her as he pleased.

As her body tensed, pushing closer orgasm but unable to reach it on her own, Persephone recognized the expression on her face as a feeling he’d felt himself: helplessness. Her short grunts increased, desperate attempts to meet him at completion. He knew he had to calm her, and this time actions alone wouldn’t do it; she needed to hear the words.

“Hades,” he said, brushing some of her long dark hair away, stuck to the side of her face by sweat. “It’s okay,” he told her. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.” 

She looked up at him with wide eyes and nodded, seeming to settle. In that moment, the way she looked at him, he wondered how he could have ever doubted that she needed him. 

“Persephone,” she rasped, pleading. “My king, please…”

It was too much for him to hold back any more. He grabbed the sheets on either side of her head, using them for leverage as he snapped his hips abruptly, grunting as he speared her over and over and over again. Her hold on him tightened, her body shaking with anticipation to be so close but not quite there. She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered, a muffled sound at the back of her throat. 

Persephone determined to bring her past the edge, as she always had for him. He ducked his head down and feathered soft kisses up her throat, up to her chin, back down to her collarbone, and back up again. The combination of his hard erection filling her and his full lips tickling her neck was enough to finally do it. Hades clenched and finished suddenly with a scream that melted into a ragged, high moan. She didn’t even hear Persephone groan his completion over the sound of her own. She more than finished; she unraveled, too lost in the sensation to be embarrassed about the sounds she was making as she did.

The following silence roared in her ears as she came back down, aware of nothing but the weight of his body pushing on her. Eventually he rolled off of her to the side, his chest pressed against her back and a strong arm thrown lazily over her waist. She scooted back into him, laying her arm on top of his forearm. Hades lay unmoving for so long she lost track of time. He had all of her, and before him, she didn’t need to be a queen, a goddess, a wife -- she was only a woman. She had been so goal oriented, as she was with all things. She was determined to win him, to have him as her husband and the king, to have it all, that she might lose it all.

“Persephone?” 

“Hmm?” he grunted, half asleep.

“Persephone, I’m in love with you,” she told him with a hoarse whisper. He opened his eyes. Hades’ eyes were glassy with unshed tears as she prepared to speak.

“You don’t have to be king. You don’t have to be my husband either.” She took a breath to steady her voice, but tears spilled over her eyes when she continued. “You don’t have to stay here anymore, if you don’t want to. I just want to be with you. As long as you’ll have me.”

The flower god lifted himself up on his elbows to look down at her, and she rolled to her back to face him. When her eyes met his, he realized Charon was right. There was love in her eyes, but there was also fear. She cared deeply, which meant rejection would hurt her deeply too. She waited, limbs locked in anticipation, afraid he might leave here and now. For the first time, he felt a strong, protective urge to comfort her. He wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb.

“I want to be with you too,” was his whispered reply. She let out a ragged sigh of overwhelming relief, and he pulled her tight into his chest. Nothing else mattered.


	12. Chapter 12

Hades woke the next morning to the sounds of Persephone murmuring in his sleep. She blinked her eyes open, finding they had kicked away the tangled sheets and were entwined with each other instead. Hades’ left leg was caught between his, his arms pulling her close into his chest. She pressed her hand onto his shoulder until he stirred, lifting his head groggily.

“Hello,” he mumbled, hardly awake.

“Hello to you,” she responded with a smile. She didn’t think recently woken up Peresephone would ever stop being entertaining to her. “Sleep well?”

“Yes,” he grunted, shifting his body weight. He took her left leg underneath her knee and pulled it up over his waist, stroking the underside of her thigh absentmindedly. 

“Let’s go back to sleep,” he suggested, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“Whatever you want, my love,” she agreed. 

He tilted his head down to kiss her forehead, then her nose, then a soft peck on the lips. Her adoration staring back at him mirrored his, and for the time since he arrived, they were finally equal partners.

For Persephone, strength was feeling safe, confident, desired. Hades had made him feel all of those things in his time there. For Hades, however, who didn’t need protection, who was already sure of herself, who knew he desired her, strength from Persephone was something different. It was someone she trusted to surrender herself to, someone who admired her instead of feared her, someone she wanted to share her kingdom, her life, and her bed with. Hades didn’t need anyone, but she wanted him. The Underworld was a place, but he was home to her.

The shine of this new realization was still on them when a knock on their door told them they had a visitor. Hades wondered if Aphrodite could sense these things between people. While it felt like a massive violation of privacy, Hades was at most vaguely annoyed. She started to suspect Aphrodite had something to do with the mania that overcame here in the field, but had a hard time being angry with him if it led her to this.

When the two entered the throne room, they were shocked to find neither Aphrodite nor Eros, but Zeus herself, glowing with the golden splendor of Olympus. Hades was shocked to see her here, though hardly surprised at the attire. As usual, the full robe and crown was a bit much.

“Hello,” Persephone offered as a bright greeting. 

He was unsure what the exact protocol for welcoming a guest to the Underworld was, much less the queen of the gods, but it seemed as good of a start as any. With Hades next to him, he felt more and more like a king.

“Hello,” Zeus returned hesitantly, watching with confusion as Persephone put an arm around Hades’ waist. 

She was confused to see the god who she’d been told was abducted touch Hades that way and doubly confused to see her sister allow it. Hades hated when people touched her, especially men, especially in a possessive way. Yet here the flower god of all people slid his arm around her like she was his while Hades laced her fingers with his in reply. Hades, tired of having Olympians gawk at them, cleared her throat.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of an unprompted visit?” 

“Does there need to be a reason?” Zeus asked innocently, mimicking Hades’ visit to the balance.

“With you? Yes.” Hades gave a small smile, but was on guard. She was happy to see her sister, but suspicious of how she was looking at Persephone. 

Meanwhile, the body language between Hades and Persephone unsettled Zeus; it seems there was more to this story than anyone realized. She shifted uncomfortably before speaking.

“Hades... I think we both know this has gone on long enough.” Hades stared at her blankly in shock.

“Excuse me?” 

“Persephone doesn’t belong--”

“He is right here, Zeus. You don’t have to talk to refer to him in the third person.” Zeus looked gently over at him as watched, attentive.

“Persephone, you must know your mother misses you.”

“I-I…know, but...” he faltered, not knowing how to handle this abrupt exchange between sisters. 

Hades clenched her teeth; she didn’t like the condescending way she spoke to him and did not appreciate her guilting him.

“We are both aware of the situation, Zeus,” Hades snapped. “We’re handling it.”

“Are you?” she challenged. 

Hades gave her a steely look back, a tense silence stretching longer between the two. Persephone, feeling like an intrusion on a moment he didn’t understand, leaned into Hades’ ear.

“I think I’ll let the two of you talk?” he offered quietly. Hades hardly budged, and he briefly panicked, wondering if they had lost all their progress and she had slipped back beneath the cold facade of queen. After a moment she squeezed his hand, running a thumb along his knuckles, and he relaxed.

“Thank you,” she finally said as she turned to him, her expression warming into a reassuring smile. “I’ll be back with you in a moment.” 

He briefly nuzzled his nose against the side of her cheek and left, leaving an even more baffled Zeus, who let out a long sigh. This was going to be more difficult than she planned.

“Hades, you must know how many mortals have been lost because of this.”

“I have not killed any mortals or let any die. There is nothing stopping Demeter from coming to speak to us.”

“She refuses to--”

“Then that is hardly my fault,” Hades interrupted curtly. “We are happy to speak to her but I cannot control her actions.”

“No one can, Hades!” Zeus insisted. “Can’t you see that’s the problem? There’s only one thing that can be done that will stop the deaths.” 

“No,” was Hades’ firm answer.

Zeus balked. She knew Hades was difficult to deal with when she was angry, but she never expected this kind of stubbornness. 

“What did you say?”

“I said no, Zeus. You can’t have him back. He is my equal here.” 

“Hades, you must be joking!” she shouted, incredulous.

Zeus expected that Hades might not want to surrender her bedmate, but she never imagined she would try to claim the messy haired flower god was the new king of the Underworld. 

“I’m not,” she said flatly, tilting her chin up. 

“I’m not asking, Hades,” she said quietly. 

This time Hades balked, her jaw dropping open. Though her younger sister technically outranked her, she had never used it against her. The three queens of the cosmos loved and respected each other but lived very different lives, and had long ago come to peace with it.

“You can’t do this,” Hades dismissed. “The Underworld is not your domain.”

“The Underworld isn’t, but you and Persephone are gods. And as--”

“Weren’t you the one you told me to take him, Zeus?” Hades accused. “I believe the exact words were ‘Make him yours,’ weren't they?” Zeus winced, knowing she was right.

“I didn’t mean literally, I--”

“Since when?” Hades demanded. “Since when have you not literally taken any man you wanted to your bed? I’m shocked you had time to notice the mortals were dying between having affairs. Go back to making a cuckold of your own husband again and leave mine out of it,” she spat at her.

The queen of the gods silently endured Hades barrage of insults. She was right, and once she got going, there was no stopping her. She was only lashing out like this because she was cornered, and there was nothing else she could do. She knew she might have to deal with her sister’s wrath; she didn’t expect she would be the cause of her pain. She hated Demeter for making her say what she was about to say.

“As your queen and his, I command you release Persephone back to his mother.” 

Hades suddenly felt sick. Zeus rarely, if ever, used that tone of voice. It was her decision as queen, and it was final.

“No,” she answered weakly. “I won’t let you have him.”

“Then he will be forcibly taken from here, Hades. Don’t put him through that,” she replied gently. Hades was quiet for a long time, her distant eyes unreadable.

“Please don’t do this,” Hades finally said, looking at the ground. 

Zeus looked away, her chest aching with guilt. Hades looked up, her eyes glassy. She clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her skin, her arms shaking. 

“Sister … please, please don’t do this to me,” Hades whispered, her voice shaking. “I’m begging you. I’ve never asked you for anything. And I’ll never ask you for anything again, I swear it. Please don’t take him from me.” 

Each word was worse and worse for Zeus. Hades was proud, and she had never heard her eldest sister beg for anything. Zeus hated that the one man that would make Hades happy was the one who had to be taken away, the one whose mother would devastate the Earth if she didn’t. And most of all, she hated that she was the one that had to take him away from her.

“I’m sorry,” was all Zeus could offer her. Hades face crumbled, her eyes squeezed shut in defeat, determined not to break down in her own throne room.

“I would never do this if it was anything less than every life on Earth,” Zeus insisted, but Hades did not respond. “I’ll … give you the day. I’ll send Hermes to-”

But Hades didn’t hear it. She spun on her heel and left the room before she could lose her composure. Unfortunately, Persephone was waiting not far on the other side of the door. He jumped as the door slammed open and Hades tore past him, not wanting to make eye contact.

“Hades!” he called after her, sensing something wasn’t right. “What happened? What’s wrong?” 

He caught up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She stopped and turned slowly towards him, determined to collect herself a few seconds longer. He deserved to hear her it from her. 

“Zeus has decided you must return to Earth with you mother,” she ground out lowly between clenched teeth. He blanched.

“What?” 

Hades couldn’t find any more words. There were no words left to describe this, to describe the hole this was tearing in her. She didn’t want him to remember her like this, so with nothing more than an apologetic, heart broken glance, she retreated to her room and collapsed to the floor.

There were no tears, no sobs, no cries, only gasping, heaving breaths. There was a maelstrom of emotions so strong her mind could hardly keep up: loss, rage, fear, regret. Regret that she had ever walked the field instead of going home, regret that they had ever spoken, regret that she had taken him below, regret for not letting him leave sooner. Nothing they could have done between then and now was worth this pain now. She had given everything she had to give to him, and she would never get it back. Nothing was worth this. 

And now, that’s all there was. Emptiness. Black. Nothing.


	13. Chapter 13

Hades didn’t know how much time had passed while she sat broken on the floor of her bedroom, trying to come to terms with unimaginable reality thrust upon her. It could have been minutes or hours, but she was lost in her own mind. She could hear Persephone fidgeting in the hallway outside, waiting for her to come out. She was torn between wanting him to come in -- after all, until today it was his bedroom too -- and not wanting him to see her like this. 

She teetered on the same indecision about leaving the room. She hated that she was wasting her last chance to see him, that he was standing and waiting alone, but seeing him would not change Zeus’ decision. Perhaps it was time to come to terms with this and move on instead of wallowing in it. For a while it was so quiet she thought he had gone until she heard a soft knock on the door.

“Hades?” Persephone tried again, softly. “Hermes is here now… to take me back…” The queen pulled herself to her feet in a panic. She was out of time for decisions.

“Don’t you want to say goodbye to me?” he asked through the door. His voice was so expectant, she willed herself to take a deep breath and collect herself enough to say goodbye, for him.

He startled when the door finally opened. Hades stood tall, shoulders back, chin up, regal as always. Her face was completely solemn and calm, but her eyes were red. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. There was no way to put into one sentence what she felt, what he meant to her, what this separation would be like. Not knowing what to say either, he threw his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

Hades clung back to him. There were so many things she would miss about him, but high on the list was his embrace. She wasn’t a physically affectionate woman, but his arms around her were warm, strong, and tight without losing its tenderness. It made her feel safe, comforted, and wanted. They were things she didn’t think she would want or need from anyone and now they were being taken from her.

“I’ll miss you,” he mumbled into her hair, his check pressed into the side of her head. She opened up her mouth again and tried not to choke on the words.

“I’ll miss you too, Sunflower,” she whispered, afraid her voice would break if she was any louder. 

He pulled away a little to look at her. “Do you think I’ll get to see you again?” he asked, his voice shaky with hesitation. 

“I doubt it,” Hades admitted bitterly, looking down. 

She had underestimated Demeter, they all had. She had tried to ignore it, but thinking back, hundreds if not thousands of mortals’ lives had come into her realm with an early end because of her. She had bent the will of the rulers of the cosmos, and she seriously doubted Demeter would allow either of them to see each other again once she finally got him back. In a way, she fully understood; a plethora of much worse courses of action raced through Hades’ head when she was told he must leave.

Hades looked back up at Persephone’s blue eyes on her and regretted it; he looked genuinely devastated at her answer. If he had rejected her and left, she would have eventually come to terms with his choice. But now he seemed to want to be with her as much as she did, making this split even worse. Not only would she suffer knowing what could have been, but he would suffer too.

“I’m sorry,” she offered weakly, knowing there was nothing words would salvage now. “I did everything I could.”

“Is there anything I can do?” he offered. 

She appreciated the sincerity, but she ruled a third of the cosmos and couldn’t stop this. She had briefly considered war with her own sister to keep him and even had the means to fight. Even she knew that would fail. She was shaking her head, smoothing her hands down the side of his tunic when her fingers slowed and stopped. It was missing, what she had given him to remember her by.

The pin. The pin.

“Yes,” she insisted suddenly, eyes wide with realization. “There is something you can do. Can I show you something before you go?”

Persephone didn’t understand Hades’ sudden change of mood, but didn’t question it. The sudden determination was much preferred over the darkness settling over her. Persephone let her guide him by the hand, trying to keep up with her haste. When they approached the Asphodel Meadows, she slowed. She had only let him see it from a distance before, still too worried that the sight of so many souls would shake his nerve. Now, she had nothing to lose. This was her only chance, and it had to work.

Hades pressed forward, but felt resistance as Persephone slowed, eyes widened with curiosity as he absorbed the size of the field. Quiet shades wandered about the meadow, covered in pallid asphodel, almost as translucent as the shades themselves. At first they seemed undisturbed by their presence, but as Hades stopped, she realized more and more shades were looking up at them. She turned behind to see that there was a trail behind them of asphodel that had grown taller and more vibrant than the others where they had walked. Or rather, where he had walked. The trail of new flowers let up to his feet, where golden narcissus rose and bloomed open around him. 

She had never seen his power in action when she was on Earth. Hades stared dumbstruck at him with the same wonder as the shades, a few of which had begun to kneel before them. As the golden flowers grew like a glow around him, he looked up at her with excitement and confusion on his face.

“I’m not doing this,” he admitted, reaching to finger the soft petals.

She was not surprised. Persephone brought light and joy around him, whether he meant to or not. Her resolve to bring him back here solidified. He was meant to rule the shades who gazed upon him with reverence now, and both Hades the woman and Hades the realm accepted his place here. She took his hand again and led him on, the bright asphodel and narcissuses following them.

At last they reached their destination - an enormous pomegranate tree that centered the meadow. When he looked away from the bright yellow flowers behind him, his eyes lit up at the site of the tree. He had not realized how much he missed his own domain until this moment, seeing the bright round fruits hanging from the tree and the flowers chasing him from behind. He felt a pinch of guilt for looking forward to being back with the wildflowers above, but pushed the thought away for now. 

“It’s beautiful!” he told her, circling the tree and admiring the bold red orbs. “Why didn’t you show me before?”

She shrugged and let him explore. As his hand approached one of the buds, the branch exploded with orange and red flowers, and a new pomegranate grew wide into his hand. Hades’ heart raced. This had to be a sign. This had to work. He looked to her for permission to pluck it, and she had to withstrain herself from lurching forward and pushing it into his hands. With her nod he took it, feeling it’s roundness in both of his hands, turning it and admiring it for much longer than Hades thought her nerves could handle.

“Thank you for showing me this,” he said looking up at her. “It won’t fit on my tunic but I’m glad to have something else to remember you by.” 

Hades felt panic start to creep back him. This moment was ending, and it couldn’t be over, not yet. If he took it home with him, he might keep it till it rot and throw it away. No one had ever done this before -- and she had never wanted someone to -- so she didn’t know how this had to work. Did he have to eat it while it was still below? Her persuasive power was needed one more time.

“I’m glad you like it,” she told him with a smile, taking a step forward. “Would you do me a favor?”

“Of course!” he answered, knowing that their time was coming to an end, and it might be the last thing he could do for her. “Anything.” 

“Would you try it for me?” she asked him softly, allowing a bit of vulnerability in her voice. “I’m sure I know what the other gods must say about us and … I’d hate for them to think I was unkind to you.”

“I would never let them think that,” he insisted, leaning in to her.

“I know,” she replied, pressing on. “But I think even this small gesture would go a long way.” She lay her palm on his cheek. “For me, Sunflower?” 

He nodded, caving under her gaze. As a queen, she was hard to say no to. But as a woman, he found he couldn’t deny her either. He look the fruit and both hands and rolled it in his palms, this time pressing hard against it. She tried not to flinch at the cracking sound of the hard outer part softening in his palm.

“I’m trying to loosen some of the seeds,” he explained. “And make it easier to open.” 

She let him continue, her eyes fixed like a hawk to the red fruit in his hands, the only thing that could change their fate. He pressed his fingers hard into the stems, then pulled it apart with both hands. A few of the seeds spilled to the crowd as he cracked it open, the rest of the dark seeds dotting the white membrane inside each of the two uneven pieces. Hades dared feel hope, every little seed clustered inside another chance at keeping him.

Persephone handed one of the halves to Hades, plucking a seed from it’s spot from his half. He held it up to his face to admire it, oblivious to the fact that she was holding her breath across from him. He rolled it between his fingers, but accidentally pressed too hard, breaking it. He laughed, licking the juice from his fingertips.

“You might have been right about my poor flowers,” he admitted. 

Hades’ mind was too busy to hear what he said. She glared at the stain on his fingers, wondering if that was enough. She had to be sure, and she felt like she was buzzing with impatience. She only had to keep composure for a little longer. Before she realized she had done it, she plucked a seed from her half and held it up to his mouth, running her middle finger across his soft bottom lip. 

“May I?” she asked him, suggestive twinkle in her eyes.

He returned it with a mischievous smile, obeying. He opened his mouth, and she pressed the seed past his teeth, eyes not leaving his lips as he closed his mouth, hearing the faint sound of the juice bursting on his tongue.

Hades didn’t think she had ever so acutely felt both relief and arousal at the same time. Watching him take the fruit that would bind him here from her own hand was easily one of the most erotic things she had ever seen, and she wasn’t ready for it to be over. She pulled another one from the white membrane and held it up to him without a word, transfixed as he took it into his mouth, then another, then another. At the fifth one, he closed his lips around her thumb with a playful grin before releasing it. With a shaking hand she held the sixth seed to his mouth, and this time instead of looking down at her fingers as she offered him the seeds, he held eye contact with her as he ate it.

It was enough to finally put Hades over the edge. The pomegranate dropped from her hands and she lunged forward, taking his face in her hands and pressing her mouth hard against his. He dropped his own half to catch her, nearly knocked off his feet. He had long stopped trying to make sense of the mysterious, dark queen who seduced him over and over again and let it happen. He kissed her back with gentle urgency, shivering when her tongue slid across his. 

He tasted like pomegranate, he tasted like hers. A possessive surge came over her as she squeezed her arms tight around his neck and pressed herself against his hard chest. She wanted to keep him here, now, but it would have to wait. He held her gingerly by the waist as her pace finally slowed. She pulled away to catch her breath, but found herself leaning back in. She wanted another taste of pomegranate, of him. As her intensity subdued, her kisses came slower. Each time she thought she’d pull away for good, she felt lured back in. He followed her lead, leaning back into her each time she came back.

At last she released him, looking up at him with heady, half lidded eyes. It was time for him to go, but it was not forever. They could never keep him away from her now.


	14. Chapter 14

Hermes prided herself on being one of the few gods who was unafraid of Hades. Making frequent visits to deliver souls, she had long gotten over the uneasiness most people had of the Underworld. She and Hades had a mostly silent understanding of each other; they crossed paths by necessity and then went on their ways. She had given up trying to explain it to others, but Hades was generally calm, direct, and kept to herself. People hardly believed her, too daunted by the stories of the Underworld queen, who ruled without mercy, whose wrath was legendary.

Despite her familiarity with Hades, Hermes felt like an intruding stranger returning to the Underworld on Zeus’ order, nerves making her jittery. Before, she was doing her part in the life cycle of souls, something Hades respected and appreciated. Now she was tasked with taking her young husband from her against her will. Internally she cursed Zeus for not handling it herself.

To Hermes’ surprise, Hades seemed relatively untroubled at her arrival, Persephone by her side. If Hades’ demeanor was surprising, the behavior between the couple was downright shocking. Like everyone else, Hermes had heard about how Hades ripped Persephone away from the sunlit world. Looking at them now, she could have just as easily guessed that Persephone had convinced Hades to run away with him. Every move Hades made was small, but she hung on every word he said. She looked unhappy to see him go, but let him go nonetheless. Her embrace on him lingered, and to add further to Hermes’ shock, Persephone looked genuinely sad to part with her. The messenger goddess hardly believed her own eyes when he took her face in his hands and kissed her. 

Persephone was the kindest god she knew and had a tendency to be more sensitive than the overcompensating masculinity that ran rampant on Mt. Olympus. She’d had a crush on him for years, finding any excuse to deliver a message to him and navigate her way around Demeter’s discouragement. Yet the same man she’d seen tear up over a dead bird not a month ago stepped up to the feared Queen of the Dead without pause and put his hands on her body like she was his. 

Their journey back above was an awkward one. Hermes had a million questions she wanted to ask but didn’t dare try. Persephone was unusually quiet, unsure how he felt or how he was about to feel. He didn’t want to leave Hades, but after the Asphodel Meadow she seemed to have somehow come to terms with it. He wasn’t sure if he was more upset to leave or happy to return. They had never discussed it, but one of his greatest fears in accepting the role of king was to be parted from his domain of flowers forever. He was excited to be back, but at what cost would it come?

As he finally made his return above, he squinted, blinded by the sun. He expected to feel its warmth on his skin, but instead he shivered with cold. When his eyes finally adjusted, he saw what his time in the Underworld had cost. Demeter cried out, a sound that was strangled between joy and relief, and before he could respond she had her arms so tightly around him he could hardly breathe. Weeks worth of guilt crashed over him at the sight of his haggard mother sobbing into his shoulder. He squeezed her back, saying nothing, feeling the Earth warm beneath them, the freeze of her despair thawing.

For days, Persephone hardly spoke. It was the longest the mother and son had ever been apart, and they were hardly willing to fill each other in on what had happened in each other’s absence. Persephone was shocked to see how thoroughly his mother had neglected the Earth. Seeing a higher influx of the dead may have been something Hades understood the significance of, but the Earth’s devastation was something Persephone felt in his core. It would take them months to recover what was lost.

Meanwhile, Demeter wondered if the son who had left would ever come back. Although he could be shy around others, Persephone normally chattered away around her. She found herself in the unusual situation of filling the silence instead, trying to keep themselves busy to avoid the weight of the last three weeks from bearing down on them. It frightened her to see him this way: pale, quiet, distant. It tore at her to think things had been done to him that she couldn’t undo, but she pushed those thoughts away whenever they crawled into the back of her mind. He was back where he belonged, and that was all that mattered. 

In the world below, Hades was restless. Persephone’s absence was everywhere, the massive empty spaces filling her kingdom and her mind. She knew it was not permanent, it couldn’t be. But how long until he must return? For how long? She knew the rules of the universe, but not how they were enforced. Could they tell in the world above that he was different? She willed herself to remain patient, but after only three days, patience failed. 

After several days of uneasy quiet between them, Demeter made the uncharacteristic move of inviting guests to their field. It was under the pretense of celebrating his return, but in reality she hoped being around others could pull the old Persephone back out even if she couldn’t. She was even willing to ignore the fact that Hermes and Apollo were some of the first to visit, an enthusiasm that might have annoyed her in times past. She didn’t mind that the constant rotation of gods and goddesses descending from Mount Olympus only humbled themselves enough to come to Earth to see for themselves the newest topic of gossip; the flower boy stolen by the Underworld queen. She hardly cared what they thought since she didn’t have to live among them, and the only piece of news she cared about was that he was back.

However after a few too many guests, Demeter grew exhausted hosting the gods she normally ignored for good reason. When Persephone seemed to be coming out of his shell, she left him to entertain their company. Some time later she returned, hearing an unfamiliar voice conversing with her son. Though the longer she listened, the more it did seem familiar. But it couldn’t be…

She turned to see Persephone was standing in front of the dark Queen of the Underworld herself, admiring the ornate jewels that hung from her neck, resting on her chest. He ran his fingers across them carefully, his fingertips slightly brushing against her skin.

Hades took his chin with her hand, firmly tilted it upward for him to look her in the eye, and leaned in to press her lips hard against his. Demeter nearly lurched forward at the predatory touch, but stopped when she saw how her son responded. Persephone smiled as without hesitation he leaned in to kiss her back, taking her by the waist tightly into his arms. She brushed his messy hair to the side, stroking the side of his neck. 

Demeter had spent a lifetime of hiding her son away from promiscuous Olympian women. Until now, the biggest issue she ever had to face was shooing away admiring nymphs who had become infatuated by Persephone’s charm and kindness. But Hades was no harmless, lovesick girl gossiping in the shadows. She had taken to him and had no hesitation in claiming him. 

The way he held her, the eagerness in which he kissed her, how they knew each other’s touch: it was clear this was not their first tryst. She had known him, all of him, intimately, and well. Demeter stood frozen in panic before rage melted her inaction, and before she knew it she was rushing towards them.

“How dare you show your face here!” she called across to them. 

Persephone jerked away, startled by the malice in his mother’s voice. Hades sighed but squared her shoulders to face the grain goddess barreling towards them. She knew this was coming and there was no avoiding it.

“Demeter, I--”

“Not one word from you!” she demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at Hades. Normally Demeter would be as intimidated by the dark queen as anyone else, but weeks of suffering acute loss emboldened her with fury. Persephone gave Hades a small, apologetic smile before approaching Demeter.

“Mother, please,” he began, gentling his voice in hopes to placate her. She grabbed at his wrist, pulling him away and putting herself between the two. Hades’ complete lack of reaction unsettled Demeter. 

Their world above was soft with grain, flowers, and the wide open sky. Even Olympians shone with gold and jewels. Hades stood in stark contrast, looking misplaced here. Her narrow frame towered over Demeter, a body was sharp, hard angles. Like trapped animal, Demeter lashed out.

“You will leave this place now,” she nearly shouted at her, ignoring Persephone’s attempts to get her attention. Hades, unblinking and unrelenting, looked Demeter in the eye and held her ground, her low voice challenging Demeter’s shrill order.

“No.”

Persephone felt his mother shaking next to him and put his arm on hers, trying to pull her out of the state she was in. This was the single least comfortable place for him to be -- between his mother and his queen. Demeter had fought too hard to get him back and braced herself to fight the Queen of the Underworld to keep him if she had to. A cool wind whipped across the meadow, and Persephone cried out a split second before Hades realized what had happened. 

In the blink of an eye, all the life of the Earth around them withered again. Hades and Persephone both saw first hand what Demeter’s pain had wreaked upon the Earth for the past weeks, the harsh reality that had successfully parted them. Hades looked sympathetically at Persephone, who looked like he had been hit in the chest, and understood. He had felt every flower in the field die at once. Hades scowled at Demeter, whose unchecked emotions were hurting the precious son she was trying to protect.

Their standoff was interrupted by a flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder. The three blinked to find the queen of the gods before them, electricity flickering off her tan skin and long golden hair. Zeus looked at Demeter’s rage, Persephone discomfort, and Hades’ calm, trying to make sense of the altercation. 

“Keep your sister in check,” Demeter growled between gritted teeth. “She can’t have him.”

Normally, Zeus would have taken issue with Demeter’s tone, but she supposed she was allowed an exception in this case. She looked at her sister as a silent question. Hades gave her sister a small, confident smirk. 

She had done it. Zeus didn’t know what it was yet, but Hades had done it. Hades cleared her throat and addressed the group with a level voice.

“Persephone is tied to the Underworld. He’s eaten from the sacred tree.”

Zeus suppressed a smile; Hades had always been the most clever of them. She shouldn’t have been surprised she found a way. Meanwhile tears pooled in Demeter’s eyes as she tried to surprise the rising hysteria. She whirled around to Peresphone and he flinched back, not understanding.

“Is that true?” she asked him with a trembling voice. 

“I …” Persephone looked at Hades, then Zeus, then back at his mother. “I ate pomegranate seeds, yes.”

Their reactions left Persephone as confused as ever. Zeus looked relieved, Hades victorious, his mother distraught.

“You can’t do this to us!” Demeter wailed at Zeus. 

“It doesn’t matter what I say,” Zeus informed her. “If he ate of the Underworld, he is bound to spend part of his life there. There is nothing I can do to stop it.”

Persephone’s eyes snapped up over his mother’s head to Hades. Her smug look faded when she met his gaze. She may have found a way to bring him back to her, but she had done it without his knowledge. He didn’t know whether to be thankful she would bring them together or betrayed that she did it without telling him.

“How long?” Demeter croaked out, barely holding back sobs.

“Persephone,” Zeus addressed him. He stood up at attention. “How many seeds did you eat?”

“Uh…” Persephone thought back to the meadow, the sweet taste of the juice on his tongue, Hades’ mouth on his as she tasted him, daffodils blooming at his feet.

“Six,” Hades finished for him.

“Six months,” Zeus told Demeter. “Persephone must return to the Underworld six months of every year.” 

“Then you will have six months of this!” Demeter screeched, pointing at the desolate field, hot tears streaming down her face. “Then this world will suffer as I do every year!”

“So be it,” Zeus answered flatly. The laws of the cosmos could not be broken, and enough had been done to cater to Demeter’s overprotective rage. With preparation, mortals could survive half the year.

“I should have known you would not keep your word!” Demeter spit at Zeus. “The three of you are all the same! Nothing but manipulatie, abusive, queen whores--!”

“Do NOT talk about my wife that way!” Persephone interjected, his voice rising strong and stern over his mother’s. 

All three of the goddesses stared at Persephone in wide eyed shock. Even in all the years they had gotten under each other’s skin, his phases as a rebellious and stubborn child, Persephone had never raised his voice to his mother. They had many times argued, but never had he made such a demand of anyone, much less his her. He walked back over to Hades and put a hand on her shoulder. When he spoke, this time his voice was gentler.

“Mother, I know you don’t like it, but Hades is my wife now. You can’t talk about her like that.”

Demeter watched him, jaw slack, heart-broken and betrayed. Hades placed her hand on top of Persephone’s and beamed up at him. She did not need defending, but it meant the world to her that he did anyway, and that he considered her his wife.

Zeus did not wait for another outburst from Demeter. “Say your goodbyes,” Zeus told Hades. “Persephone will return in six months.”

Hades hesitantly turned to face her husband. The last few days, the last few minutes, had been such a flurry, she struggled to find closure that would last for the coming months.

“So,” he said quietly. “You knew about the seeds.”

Hades looked down, staring at his hands as they held hers, this thumb running over her knuckles. “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked her. “I thought you said you would tell me everything.” 

“I know,” she whispered. “I was afraid.” There was the word Charon had said again. Afraid.

“Hades, why are you afraid of me?” he asked, lightly tilting at her chin until she looked up and met his blue, searching eyes. She owed him so much more than this, but her pride had held her back.

“I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t choose to stay,” she admitted with shame, and from there it all came rushing out. “I’m sorry, Persephone. I’m sorry for not telling you about the seeds, and for taking you from the field, and for being so rough with you--” 

“Hades,” he interrupted, putting both hands on her narrow shoulders. “Hades, I would have chosen to stay,” he said with a smile. “Why wouldn’t the king stay with his queen?”

She grasped at his tunic, going still. “You mean that?”

“Of course I mean it! Is that so hard to believe?” Without answering she pulled him to her, resting her head on his shoulder.

Nearby, Demeter’s ability to stomach this lengthy farewell had run thin. 

“Is it not enough that you go back on your word,” a weary Demeter accused Zeus, “but you force me to watch this disgusting display of your sister’s possessive--”

“I didn’t just do it for her, Demeter,” Zeus interrupted sharply, nodding at the odd couple. Persephone had pulled away and nuzzled his nose against Hades cheek and stroked the long hair down her back. Demeter looked away with a huff.

“I don't know how the Underworld will survive without its king,” Hades said, not wanting to release him.

“I’m told the Underworld has a very capable queen. In fact I heard she ruled without a king for eons,” he added, nudging her. “I’m sure the King of the Underworld isn’t needed so much.”

“And what of the king of my heart?” she asked him. He gave her a teasing smile.

“I can’t wait to tell everyone on Mt. Olympus what a sentimental queen the Underworld has.” She smirked.

“I dare you, Sunflower."


	15. Chapter 15

No amount of mental preparation or self reflection could have prepared Hades for the next half year. For someone who had accustomed themselves to thousands of years ruling alone, she found it surprisingly difficult to go back to it, even after only having him with her for a few weeks. She realized she shouldn’t have been so surprised. When they first met, it made her anxious to spread visits out by only a week. Now she had to somehow endure months without him. She didn’t dare try to visit him above, not wanting to give Demeter any leverage against her, and she convinced herself couldn’t sneak away from Demeter’s watch either.

The pain of missing him only gradually dulled over a long period of time. While she was certainly not alone in the Underworld, surrounded by the chthonic deities that always resided there, it was simply not the same. She was grateful that both Zeus and Poseidon visited her often, coming more times in six months than they had in a lifetime. Trying to help ease the loneliness, they had once made the mistake of suggesting she find someone else to “keep her company” - surely, Persephone would understand. Her quick and vehement refusal of the suggestion made it clear they should never suggest it again. Persephone was the only man she wanted in her life, even if it doomed her to a half life. 

Besides her sisters, one of the few things she could look forward to were deliveries from Hermes. She visited as often as she normally did as part of her role delivering souls, but every week she brought flowers from Persephone. Hades had initially worried she might have ruined the trust built between them by feeding him the seeds, but the flowers were a huge part in putting her mind to rest. Every week in return, she sent back a jeweled pin that mimicked one of the flowers he had sent the week before. Hermes always came with new flowers before the old ones died, and it comforted her to have a little piece of him, just a sliver of his power on Earth that, by design, she would never see in action

He would occasionally send messages with Hermes too, but they began to make her increasingly uncomfortable to have to deliver them. After awkwardly delivering “I think of you at night when I’m alone” aloud to Hades, Hermes insisted any messages had to be written down going forward. Hades sympathized with Hermes; she must often have to deliver news people did not want to hear to them. She had a rare, intimate look into what Hades imagined was a very talked about relationship, but Hades trusted her discrepancy. Firstly because Hermes seemed to have some affection still towards Persephone, and secondly because Hades did not doubt her own ability to terrify her if she needed to.

The week of Persephone’s return to the Underworld, Hades could hardly focus her thoughts for even a few moments. Zeus had recommended Hermes deliver Persephone, but Hades refused. She didn’t trust Demeter and wanted to ensure his safe return herself. Zeus reluctantly agreed, knowing it was a recipe for drama to allow Demeter and Hades in the same place at such a sensitive time. Zeus assured her sister she would take no part in the exchange. 

Hades hummed with nerves in the long journey out of darkness to the world above. Her life before him was one of steady contentment, but now she rocked between much higher highs and much lower lows. It was a shock to her system, and she willed herself to be still despite it.

She wore the heavy onyx crown, her long raven hair falling down beyond her shoulders to her waist. The last time she had seen him, he’d said the ruby rings dotting her fingers reminded him of poppies, so she wore those again today. The flickering red set in gold matched her golden ear cuffs and subtle necklace - a tiny golden narcissus on a delicate golden chain. Before departing, she found herself fidgeting with her appearance, wondering if he would prefer the dark lining and soft shadowing around her eyes or if liked better the natural glow of the river nymphs who frequented his region. 

She scoffed at the comparison. Nothing about her would look natural above - not her dark crimson eyes and jet black hair in high contrast to her fair skin, not her monochromatic queen’s attire, not her intricate collection of jewels. Internally she laughed at herself; before, she would have dismissed the thought of someone changing their appearance to appeal to a man. Perhaps Aphrodite had been right about love making her a hypocrite. She had taken so much from Persephone, she was willing to do anything to make him happy.

Though the fitted bodice of her gray dress made her skin feel a bit overexposed in the harsh sunlight, the black cape on her shoulders made her feel more herself. She brought the flaming sceptre too, in case Demeter tried anything. Or rather, to keep her from trying anything. She could feel his presence not fair away as she stepped through the tall grass, her nerves an ever tightening coil of anticipation and tension. 

When she finally laid eyes on him, it was like being struck all over again. Her memory had not done him justice, and she felt guilty for trying to put him out of her mind all those months. On Earth, in his element, he was absolutely stunning. His hair shone like a fiery halo, his skin was darkened from months in the sun, and his eyes looked all the lighter in contrast, mirroring the pale, clear sky.

She met those blue, trusting eyes from across the field and froze. A brilliant smile of recognition illuminated Persephone’s face. She did not think he could possibly be more excited to see her than she was him, but before she knew it he was sprinting towards her. Persephone shouting her name as he approached her shook her from her paralysis just seconds before he easily lifted her in his arms and spun her around, pulling a startled gasp from her lips. He gently set her down, and she kept her arms around his neck to get her bearings. Hades didn’t know if it was being lifted off her feet and spun or the overwhelming joy she felt to be reunited with him, but she found herself overwhelmed and off balance. 

“I missed you,” was all should could manage, and it was a gross understatement.

Without saying anything he took her face in his hands with a warm smile and kissed her. She appreciated that he didn’t hesitate with her body anymore, because she was finding herself usually dry for words and was happy to follow his lead. When he pulled away, he looked like he was about to bounce with anticipation.

“I learned something new while you were gone,” he announced. She gave an indulgent smile, ready to spend the next six months listening to whatever he wanted to tell her. 

“And what is that?”

“That I love you too,” he said simply.

Hades’ smiled faded and her mouth fell open in a sharp exhale. She stared at him with wide eyes, hardly believing her own ears, until her eyes stung with moisture and the world blurred.

“Wait, I’m sorry!” he insisted quickly, putting his hands on her shoulder, panicking. “I’m sorry, please don’t cry!”

Hades laughed at his reaction, stray tears spilling over. He quickly swept them away with his thumb, looking hesitantly relieved. She took his hand firmly in hers and led him forward.

“Let’s go home.”

But there was one more obstacle they had to pass before they could go, and that obstacle looked like she was barely keeping it together. Persephone jogged up to his mother and let her crush him with a hug, eyes squeezed shut in her last few minutes of denial. Hades turned away to give them privacy, but as Persephone reapproached her, she made eye contact with Demeter.

The harvest goddess had her jaw clenched, her hands in tight fists at her sides in an attempt to stop her limbs from shaking. She kept a stoic face, but her eyes gave her away. Demeter gave Hades a stony look, but it was hiding pain that Hades herself had known all too well. She couldn’t bring herself to be upset at Demeter, because in six months, she would be her. And for the next six months, Demeter would be living her last six months. Until the end of time, one’s pain would be the other’s joy, one’s loss the other’s gain. 

Hades gave Demeter a brief nod; one of unspoken understanding, respect, and recognition of the cycle of happiness and sorrow that would tie them to each other forever. As Hades took her husband’s hand and led him to their chariot, life came back to the Underworld while the sun set on Demeter.


	16. Chapter 16

Persephone laced his fingers with his wife’s and stood closer to her as they descended to the world below. He mused on how different his return was compared to his first visit. Then, Hades had frightened him with her manic actions and unnerving silence. Now, he felt a welcome calm settle over him in the quiet darkness of Erebus, seeing nothing and feeling nothing but her hand in his.

Hades did not have to see her husband to know how his time in the world above had changed him. She could feel the sun’s warmth radiating off him, as if his skin has absorbed more than it could hold. He smelled of grass, wildflowers, and the river. She wished she could have seen him more on Earth: in his element, where his power was strongest and well practiced. But she was so delighted that he was willing to share her power, to be here, to love her, she found herself unusually emotional.

Returning to their palace, she was amused to see him take in the splendor of it as if for the first time. Considering she had nearly dragged him through it initially, she regretted that he to discover most of it on his own later. Their kingdom was a beautiful place, and she was glad he could see it.

Once she shut their bedroom door behind her, Hades turned to face him, the energy between them palpable. He gave her a shy, expectant half grin, and that was enough to undo her. She threw her arms around him, pulling him by the neck towards her and kissed him like they might take him back at any moment. When he did pull away, his dazzling smile and the tender look in his eyes made her insides feel soft. He hugged her tightly to his body, nuzzling his face into her neck.

“I missed you so much Hades,” he admitted with a shaky voice, the joyful relief of the reunion suddenly overwhelming him, as if all the months of longing were crashing down on him at once. “It was really hard to be away from you for so long.”

“I know my love,” she replied, rubbing her hands up and down his back. “It was the same for me.” He pulled away a little to face her.

“Will you come to visit me, next time? So it isn’t so long?” 

Hades felt guilty he even had to ask. She had tried disconnecting herself from her feelings and memories entirely in an attempt to survive the past six months, when she should have been trying to find a way to see him without breaking her agreement with Demeter.

“I want to. I just worry that your mother might say I’m in violation of--”

“I asked Zeus if that would be okay,” he offered helpfully. “And she said it was.” A slow smile came across Hades’ face.

“You did?”

“Yes,” he admitted sheepishly. “As long as my mother could see me here too.”

“She can visit you here,” Hades easily conceded. The idea of getting to visit him made the next half of her eternal life much less bleak. “And so can you, anytime you want.” He beamed. One of the many things Hades loved about Persephone was how easily he could be made happy. 

“I would hate to think of you here all alone…” he began, running his finger along the neckline of her dress. “Having to take all your clothes off yourself…” 

“Well as king, it is certainly one of your responsibilities,” she informed him, smirking at his attempt to play coy. “If you’re up it, of course.” 

“I think I could manage it,” he answered, starting to circle her. 

Her dark eyes followed him until he stood behind her, his long fingers tracing down her back to where the dress tied together, carefully pulling apart the ties until the cloth slid off of her. She turned around to face him, her look saying all the suggestive things her words didn’t. 

His gaze didn’t stay on her eyes for long. His eyes swept across her bare body, and whatever clever or complimentary thing he meant to say evaporated in his throat. She was more stunning than he remembered and her confidence aroused him. She stood tall, her eyes daring him to do something about it. Most gods he knew above seemed to want mortal women or nymphs that would make them feel powerful by being passive, meek, and innocent. Hades was none of those things and he was never more glad for it. She was strong and made him feel strong, and the way she looked at him now made him feel like he could do anything.

By the time his eyes had made their way up to her face, she had already lunged at him, her willpower to abstain finally used up. She nearly ripped his clothes off his body, pushing him towards their bed. He was more than happy to follow, laying flat on his back while she crawled over him, his rough hands sliding down her smooth, fair skin.

She gasped when his erection brushed against her entrance, already slick with anticipation. Having gone months without him, she felt wildly sensitive to even the slightest touch, much less his length pressing against her. He squirmed when she grasped at him and lined him up against her. He had a hard time sleeping in the world above, missing her body next to his and having to be discreet even with his own hand to avoid being discovered. Hades has stopped trying to please herself that way months ago, trying to distance herself from anything that reminded her of him.

In this moment, with the tip of his length starting to enter her, she realized his body was something she could hardly forget. She slowly, glacially, lowered herself onto him, his width filling and opening her as a low, satisfied groan broke from the back of her throat. Persephone panted as she took his hard length into her warm, tight channel, letting his eyes squeeze shut and his head fall back when he was all the way within her. 

Hades felt lightheaded already, the tingling blooming from between her legs down all the way to her feet, toes curled tight. She put her hands on his chest to steady herself, trying not to move an inch. Just having him inside her was incredible by itself, and having been so long denied and take him so slowly now felt better than it ever had. She might have been embarrassed that this alone could finish her, but the gaze of awed admiration he had looking up at her erased the thought. 

She parted her legs further apart at either side of his wide torso and leaned forward, opening up and taking him further in. He groaned, his eyes falling shut again, holding firmer to her waist at either side. She rocked her hips forward the smallest amount and held there before falling back and pushing the smallest increment forward once more. It was all it took, teetering ever so slightly, balancing with his impressive length her fulcrum. Her legs started to shake, her quiet grunts crescendoing as she fast approached completion.

A flurry of things Persephone wanted to say raced around his mind: that she was beautiful, that she was sexy, that he loved her, that he was happy she was his wife. None of the words came out. His expressive side had been rendered silent, lying beneath one of the most powerful goddesses in the cosmos as she took pleasure from him without hardly moving. He might have felt a sort a sort of masculine pride, knowing all it took was being there to satisfy her needs. But more than anything, he felt like he belonged to her. When she looked him in the eyes, lips parted, finally reaching the crest, being hers was all he wanted to be, and everything else would have to come second.

Hades laid herself across his body as she came down, leaning over his face to softly peck his lips, feeling too stimulated to try much else. He was still thick within her, so she kept as still as she could as the waves of pleasure finally passed. She brushed some of his messy auburn hair from his face, and he captured her hand and kissed it. He gave her a mischievous smile, and before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her back, and swinging his body weight to the side, rolled on top of her.

She gasped in surprise, but smiled back as he looked down at her with a wicked glint in his eye. She liked this bold streak in him, mostly because it meant he was being comfortable enough with her to be himself. He hissed as he carefully withdrew most of the way, then pressed back forward into her. She shivered, the cool air and her wetness on his length reentering her. He began slow, admiring her reactions as he pulled in and out of her, but soon found his arousal so acute it was nearly painful. Losing control of any premeditated actions, he thrust harder and faster into her with determination grunts as his face began to dampen with sweat.

He bent down to kiss her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around his broad back, hooking her legs around the backs of his thighs and arching her back into him.

“Persephone,” she sighed, clinging to him. “Persephone…” she continued, his name rolling over her lips again and again like a desperate prayer a mortal would make to the gods when they were in dire need. Hades was pleading with him, though for what she didn’t know. She wanted him, needed him, and surrendered control to her husband and king as he roughly took her, finally finishing with a shout. 

His full weight collapsed onto her, his sweaty, matted hair tickling her neck as his heavy breathing warmed her ear. Reluctantly he lifted himself on his elbows, already missing the feel of her soft breasts against his chest. He wearily kissed her cheek, then her nose, then her lips. She smiled a dreamy smile up at him, a smile he knew was only for him.

“Welcome home, my king.”

\---

When Zeus invited Hades and Persephone to Mt. Olympus, she expected either no answer or a swift no from Hades. She only got to be with her beloved young husband half the year, and Zeus hardly imagined her sister would voluntarily give up time alone with him to suffer the type of party she barely tolerated before. She knew Hades’ only soft spot was for Persephone, so at best, Zeus expected Hades might let him attend alone.

No one was more shocked than Zeus when they both appeared together at the occasion. They arrived hand in hand and quickly became both the most stared at and most talked about people Mt. Olympus had had in eons. 

Neither of them looked like their old selves. Hades wore a dark dress with a matching cape, as she was known to wear, but her hair was braided with asphodel placed carefully in it and sported an uncharacteristically easy smile. Persephone, standing even in height next to her, wore a black tunic that matched his wife’s with a diamond asphodel pin. Though he came barefoot, as he was known to do, he carried Hades’ flaming scepter in his hand. His face shone with his usual dazzling smile, but he stood taller, more confidently, with more purpose. They both wore the onyx crowns of the king and queen of the Underworld and had fingers heavy with emeralds. They were simultaneously matched and mismatched, opposites who had found common ground together.

Both Zeus and Poseidon enthusiastically greeted their sister and the new king of the Underworld. They were rarely seen on Mt. Olympus, and it seemed immediately everyone wanted a piece of them. People congratulated Hades on her new relationship while others pulled Persephone away to hear more about being king of the Underworld. Hades’ sisters murmured amongst themselves at this strange new behavior, shocked that she would let Persephone out of her sight, much less let him socialize separately from her.

At some point the queen sisters managed to corner Persephone on his own. To their further surprise he handled himself brilliantly to their teasing scrutiny, and Hades watched on from a distance with pride as he managed to entertain her prying sisters -- who happened to be two of the most powerful goddesses in the cosmos -- without problem.

Occasionally they would make nonverbal contact throughout the party, catching the other’s eye from across the room. When Aphrodite approached Hades with something smug to say or when Apollo touched Persephone’s arm one too many times, they would look across the room to each other with a wry smile. Being unavailable seemed to make Persephone even more attractive than he might have been as a newcomer, but Hades was undaunted by the flirtatious ways of Olympian women. They could certainly try their damnedest, but she knew without hesitation he would spurn them all.

When at last they did find each other each other again, Persephone took Hades’ hand instinctively, nudging her cheek with his nose and earning him a tender smile from his queen. Deities not-so-subtly stared at the strange affection between then, no doubt wondering how much less innocent touches between them must be. For once, Hades didn’t care.

“How are you Sunflower?” she asked him. “I see you withheld the barage of persistent sisterly nosiness.” He laughed, putting an arm around her.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” he said, and she wasn’t surprised. He thrived in social situations like this, and she felt all the more comfortable being there just knowing he was nearby. People seemed to expect her to speak on his behalf, but he was more than capable of holding his own, and she would much rather let him speak for the both of them.

“Would you like to go soon?” he offered. “Poseidon said this is the longest you’ve ever stayed.” This time Hades laughed.

“Don’t feel we have to go on my behalf. I’m happy to stay longer with you,” which was yet another statement that would have shocked her sisters.

“But what if I’d be happier if I had the queen to myself?” he suggested lowly into her ear. She squeezed his hand, looking ahead.

“Wherever you go I’ll follow, my king.” He took her chin and turned her face to his, kissing her slowly, ardently, like no one was watching.

“Then let’s go home,” he said finally, leading her forward. 

Without another word to anyone, they left -- the baffling, enigmatic couple that no one was any closer to understanding. It didn’t matter, because they had each other, and everything else was background noise.

\---

Thank you so much kind readers for reading and your reviews! It meant so much to have your readership and support for something a little unusual so thank you for joining along for the ride! In addition to the inspiration being from beautiful art, some of your reviews really got me thinking about how I wanted the story to go, and I think changed it for the better. Thank you so much again!


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